The Shogun's Otome
by JeffC FTW
Summary: A feisty maiden defies traditional values in hopes to first save her adoptive mother and sister, eventually becoming an unwilling bride, then later against a greater threat in which she assumes command of her husband's armies. FemNaruto. Set in feudal times and inspired by the novel "The King's Damosel".
1. The Wicked Done to Naru

**Update (09/22/19): I used to be called out on naming femNaruto her male name and not NaruKo, but I finally finish updating this last story with her, calling her NARU instead. Along with fixing old grammar errors I never noticed before.**

 **"The King's Damosel" by Vera Chapman is one of my favorite books, and it inspired the animated film Quest for Camelot which I LOVE immensely, and so comes in Mulan. :D Do the math...yup, they inspired me to bring this new fic of mine to life.**

 **Naru Uzumaki, an orphan in feudal Japan, faces a series of adventures, battling personal demons and real ones, as she becomes the shogun's damsel (Japanese "otome") and strives to show that despite being a woman, she is a great warrior.**

 **In this first chapter is a trigger warning, beware. I hated doing it, but it was vital to this story as it was in "The King's Damosel". It's not graphic, but be warned.**

 **Disclaimer: nothing is mine. And the chapters are named similarly like those in Chapman's book.**

Chapter One

The Wicked Done to Naru

Naru Uzumaki grew up an orphan.

She never knew her parents, only that they had been among the middle class, considered luckier than the unlucky of their nation. Which meant that they were nobility, but somehow, she ended up growing in the peasantry. For a time, she was in the orphanage before she reached age eight when she was let go. Money was running short to take care of some of the population, because the fighting with Iwagakure was adding strain to the economy.

One distinct characteristic noted of the strange child was her loud mouth when something didn't go her way, as well as when another child teased her, and then she would move to slam her fists into the offender before being separated and whipped five times as a harsh reminder that laying a hand on another child was punishable. Disobedience was never tolerated. The stings to her backside and thighs made her cry for endless hours of the day and into the night.

Another taunted feature was the trio of marks on each of her cheeks, being six altogether, which made her look like a _fox._ The other kids called her _kitsune no on'nanoko_ \- "fox girl".

How did she stay positive, you would ask? Her caregivers in the orphanage, Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno - both of whom had a daughter who was her age - had taught her that no matter how dark the present may be, there was a chance to fight for the light. They were so kind to her, and they'd run the orphanage. She could have moved in with them, but it wasn't an option. Their hands were tied that some orphans had to be let go onto the streets, and the ones who were adopted went with their new families.

Naru was the only one who didn't have a home, along with two others - but they were eventually picked up. Why didn't she get that luck?

More importantly: why did no one tell her who her parents were?

One reason she suspected was because she was hardly even pretty to the eyes, although she had been called "cute" on occasion. How could she even be cute? Her dirty blonde hair was long and in a mess, but Mebuki used to comb it back herself. Her daughter, Sakura, was the ultimate image of being a girl. In fact, Naru called her a friend. The pink-haired girl with the red ribbon in her hair brushed the dirty gold and tied it into a ponytail beneath the nape of her neck, and wrapped it in light blue ribbon.

Somehow, having long hair bothered Naru to an extent. But she never had anything to cut it, because children weren't allowed to have sharp tools of their own yet. With exceptions of those born in nobility and trained to fight. "Her" class had weapons in case they were attacked, but nobody yet devastated their village. At present, Konoha's army was waiting out in Kusa against Iwa, because apparently, Earth infiltrated Grass to try and get to Fire's borders. Leaf against Rock - with Lightning, Mist and Sand participating by the sides.

If only she was old enough to join the army. If only she had means to get in without sneaking and then being punished if found out. She HATED being among the weak to be protected. Not only did she want to be recognized, but she wanted to protect her home...

What added to the decline of the orphanage was when she learned of the deaths of Mebuki and Kizashi. Someone had set fire to the place, killing the owners, the few staff, and a couple innocent children. It was publicly confirmed that Iwa ninja assassins had done the horrendous deed. She had been helpless to stop the fire, but something inside her snapped that she dared to brave the flames to help and find any survivors.

One of the children inside who made it was Sakura, who was covered with a couple burns to her hands, and her face was reddened from the heat. Naru acted fast and pulled her free while the adults who followed her got out the other children. The pinkette wailed for her parents and held onto Naru, clutching onto the dusted, tomboy blonde like there was no tomorrow, like she was all she had left...

"What are we going to do now?" Sakura whimpered, still crying. "We have no home, Mother and Father are gone...we'll starve out here and die..." It was then and there that another voice surprised them both. It was female, stern but gentle at the same time.

"You two...you're Mebuki's girls?"

Sakura swallowed and hiccupped a couple times before answering first. "I am. Naru here is my friend, but she has no family." This surprised the woman, her eyes widening by a hair but otherwise giving no reaction. "Mum and Dad took care of her before they let her go."

The woman, blonde and beautiful - more than SHE was - knelt down before them. She was wearing a plain green kimono, her hair in two low pigtails behind her head, and her eyes a rich shade of gold; they carefully took in Naru's unkempt appearance, save for her long hair like her own. She gave a light smile then. "You got pretty hair just like me," she noted, but it set Naru off.

"Just LIKE you? Yours is more beautiful than mine!" she protested, making the woman laugh.

"Don't be silly, kid. What, do you think yourself low?" Her eyes flickered, and she smirked. "Oh, those markings on your face...are you a cute little vixen or something?

These questions made her feel a little angry. Who did this woman think she was? She was only asking a simple question, but it was like she could read through Naru. As if sensing the child's behavior, the woman's eyes narrowed a little. "Oh, I'm sorry I was getting to you...Naru, was it?"

She brightened up. "Yup, Naru Uzumaki."

"Say, you wouldn't be Kushina's then, would you?"

The lady whirled around at the source of the voice, and there stood a powerfully built man with long white hair, strange red marks on his face, and his grin was broad and flashing with twinkling whites. "Jiraiya," she scolded, "have you been told to announce yourself without surprise?" She stood up from her kneeling position and dusted off her kimono. The man - Jiraiya was it? - chuckled and leaned over to kiss her cheek, which made the girls mutter in disgust to each other.

"Aw, kissing a gorgeous woman is a wonderful thing, girls!" he told them cheerfully. "Just wait till you both grow into really beautiful women and snag a boy off their toes -" The woman, whom Naru guessed loved him, and she knew this because she'd seen Mebuki and Kizashi as well as their playful quarrels, swatted him on the back of his head. "OW! Tsunade, must you hit me just because I am telling them something they'll learn one day?"

"And it's something they should hear from only a LADY!" the woman called Tsunade hissed, making him cringe and laugh at the same time.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "Y-You're... _Tsunade-sama?_ Mum told me about you! She said you saved her life, and you helped the orphanage during the last war!" The compliment seemed to warm Tsunade, but Naru had no idea what the heck was going on. She was only eight, halfway behind Sakura, because sometimes information was miscalculated.

However, she did remember hearing the names _Jiraiya_ and _Tsunade_ , but where -?

Jiraiya saw her face and laughed, patting the top of her head. "This one hasn't heard of us, it seems. Well, kiddo, looks like we got a lot to tell you..."

"But before we do that," Tsunade cut in, "you two have nowhere to go?" Both girls shook their heads. She sighed heavily. "Jiraiya, what do you say about these two rosebuds going in with us?"

~o~

Tsunade and Jiraiya, she eventually learned, were two of the three ninja of legend, eventually rising in the ranks with their efforts in the last great war, primarily in the Village Hidden in the Rain, which wasn't among the five giants and very difficult to infiltrate. Besides these two, there was another who went rogue a few years ago and had been hunted for ever since...

She and Sakura thought they would live on the streets, but these two giants took them both in. Tsunade was also the village healer, and Sakura wanted to learn from her, because she'd known the Harunos before they died, leaving their daughter as the last of them. Naru still had no knowledge of her true background, but she eventually decided that she had everything she needed in front of her: Tsunade, Sakura, and Jiraiya. The two Sages were the parents she never had, and Sakura was like a sister to her even if sometimes they fought over the littlest of things.

Both Naru and Sakura might have lived modestly, but it was peaceful and everything they wanted. Being taken in by two of the Legendary Sannin was an honor. They had a great education like the other children, both being taken care of by Shizune, the niece of a lover of Tsunade's who died during the second war, while both their adoptive parents were away much of the time, and learned everything that was necessary for young women to know.

For the time being, there was no talk of marriage despite learning the basics about couples when they got to be _that_ age. Poor Jiraiya turned redder than a tomato as he couldn't contain his perverted remarks and sniggering - to which Tsunade slugged him for being disrespectful in front of the girls - Sakura just about fainted but eventually grew into the subject, but Naru did not find the topic as exciting as she did history and politics.

By the time she was thirteen, the war was at an end. It turned out that the emperor of Konoha and the one of Iwa chose to sign a peace treaty because both sides were fed up with sacrificing many of their best for an endless battle that was draining them both of willpower and in survival. If this went on, there would be nothing left of the Villages Hidden in the Leaves and Stone. But that wasn't the only reason: Itachi Uchiha, son of one of the most elite clans and revered shogun general, returned with a great victory after clashing with the Emperor of Kumo.

It was also by this time, while life was slowly beginning to get better, distinct changes were evident in both Naru Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno.

Seemed Sakura was destined to be the opposite, for she was very rosy and feminine in appearance and attitude - unless you provoked her the wrong way, and she could take you down with a single finger without trying hard. She was prone to sensitivity. Tsunade made a miniature version out of herself in the pinkette who faced very strict teachings starting at this age. But how many women and men learned what the famed Slug Princess harnessed in wartimes?

However, Naru finally made herself to be the tomboy of the two girls. Her fox-like "whiskers" on her cheeks were still the center of attention. And it was then that she finally mustered the courage to cut her hair to the length she favored. The wild yellow locks were now in a literal flash around her ears, ending just beneath them, marking her almost like a boy. But her accent would mark her female, and if anyone paid attention to the front of her chest, they would also see it, for her bust was a couple more notches than Sakura's, not to put her "sister" and best friend down like that. Except it was nowhere near monstrous in size like Tsunade's.

If the quick-tempered healer heard those words, then you were in for a punch a hundred yards into the distance.

While Sakura was with the granddaughter of the first emperor of Konoha - yeah, Tsunade was royalty, but she had no interest in ruling the land; not only that, she was a woman, and therefore women were made for the household and other duties - Naru was with Jiraiya the pervert. He made no unwanted advances on her, but she had to nickname him _Ero-Sannin_ , which made his eyes turn into white balls.

Naru suddenly started being called "handsome", which wasn't like Sakura being called "beautiful", because who the hell wanted a tomboy a man could court? But as far as she was concerned, no boys got her attention because at this age, they were idiotic and had no idea how to treat a girl the way she wanted. She had no interests...and therefore had no interests to marry, either.

It was the day after her thirteenth birthday she told this to Tsunade-sama. The older woman looked shocked for a moment before reverting to stoic. "I'm agreeing with you, Naru, but someday it won't be possible to remain that way. Marriage has existed since humankind began." She had been knitting a scarf out of habit, and the fabric was a rich red which reminded the teenager of blood. "I was supposed to marry Dan, but he died." A sad sigh escaped her lips. "Then Jiraiya offered his hand to keep me from being arranged with some feudal lord when the war was over. I gladly said yes even though I knew what kind of man he was, never mind his heart. But how better could it get, when it is someone you knew and respected for the longest time?" Her lips pulled into a dreamy smile. For being something of a young-looking old lady, she still loved to act like the flirtatious girl her little apprentice was.

 _Arranged marriage, my butt. I won't be with some ugly old man with money, and I won't be reduced to the household, either. But if Granny isn't confined to this, maybe I can try? Except I don't hear or see a lot of women making names for themselves without being severely beaten for this..._

She might be brave at her age, lightly muscled with Pervy Sage's training and the hunting she did with him, but her emotions were as they should be. If she was scared of punishment, then she was scared a little. But Tsunade-baa said she would have to learn to control them someday sooner or later. "I...guess someone I know and trust is better than someone I never met," Naru said finally, then added stubbornly, "but if he tries to control me, then I can give him a good fist like you give Pervy Sage."

The older woman chuckled but said nothing. By this time, she was done knitting the scarf and gave it to Naru, who looked at it with wide eyes. "Oh, Granny, you really made it for ME?" she exclaimed, earning rolling eyes.

"I certainly did. In fact, it took me two days to do this, because this fabric is most precious." Tsunade did the honors of putting it around the blonde teen's neck, securing it firmly and tenderly. "I also got some good news you might be interested in." Naru looked at her with piqued interest.

"An old friend of mine from years ago is coming here, and he might be interested in meeting you and Sakura."

~o~

Jiraiya the Toad Sage taught her everything from the _bo_ to the shuriken, kunai and wedding band-like _kakute_ to the katana and _wakizashi_. Basically, she learned everything, and she loved to use the bow and arrow for the hunt because it was stealthier. However, because she was only a girl, her skills were noticed by few besides the ones closest to her.

As time went on, besides Sakura, she'd made more friends within the village: there was Shikamaru whose clan was revered and part of the infiltration division, as well as Ino Yamanaka whose mother ran the flower shops and her father was an important member of the emperor's court. In addition, there were Choji, Tenten - whose family manufactured weapons - and Kiba who was a dog lover along with the rest of his clan, overseeing the palace and village hounds.

Here she was in Tenten's shop, assisting with the cleaning of the newly manufactured _tanto_ when she told the brunette that an old friend and comrade of Tsunade-baa was coming for a short period of time. One of the reasons she liked Tenten was because she was also a tomboy, like herself. "Granny said he was very strong, very admirable...both a healer and fighter in one. In fact, he doesn't even look like an old man, either," Naru explained, rehearsing the lady's words since she had yet to meet the stranger face to face. "Said his name was Tetsuo Ishii."

Tenten laughed as she put down the blade and turned around to pick up a scenery-carved box that carried a new katana which was hilted with ebony and gold, ready for its new owner very soon. "I've heard of him," she answered, laughing a little, "and isn't it funny that Lady Tsunade - whom I look up to very much and thank for saving my mother from her near-death illness - would have someone like him as a friend? Ishii-san is like the slug-hime, but she could KILL with her hand if she could against an opponent, and he knows his boundaries." Her cheeks turned red with sheer embarrassment.

Naru couldn't help but grin. _If that's the case, then I can't wait to show him I can be just like his old partner. Maybe he might be something like that Dan she used to love._

The girls were interrupted from their chatter when a harsh voice interrupted them. Male, soft and baritone at the same time, but with a hint of cruelty. " _Otome_ , is my weapon ready?"

Naru stayed where she was, bristled at the rude interruption, and kept her back to the speaker, but Tenten forced her to her feet, taking her blonde friend by the forearms. "Naru, show respect!" she hissed under her breath, confusing her for a moment before she turned around and literally felt her jaw drop to the floor.

That was no man standing there, but a _boy_ who looked like he was the same age as them. His features were aristocratic, with a straight nose and high cheekbones, his raven hair shining and spiked back like a bird's tail. His eyes were dark and round like black stones, devoid of emotion but hard as his tone. "Well?" he demanded when Tenten didn't answer. He flickered his attention to Naru, giving a soft "hn" as if distasteful at the sight of her. _Are you such a bastard or what?_ she wanted to ask, but then she noticed his clothing. _Damn it, he's nobility. Figures. I bet he's a spoiled brat or something._

Tenten nodded, a blush creeping to her cheeks. " _Hai,_ Uchiha-sama. It's very fine," she said, handing the box his way after giving it one more polish. "Pure steel, hilt of lustrous ebony -" He was opening the lid and paused when he beheld the sight. He hummed once, then took it out by the handle and gave it a swirl. The blade glinted, pure as the moon.

While he was trying out his new "toy", Naru flinched when she heard his name was _Uchiha._ The Uchiha were one of the most elite noble clans, and their eldest son today, Itachi, was shogun. This couldn't be HIM because he was too young...

"It'll do, girl." He put the weapon back into the box, closing it and tucking it under one arm while he reached into his cloak, pulling out a bag of money to give to her. "I guess the new shuriken aren't ready yet," he stated blandly.

"No, but next week today, they shall be," Tenten answered kindly.

"Good. I will return then. Have a good day... _otome._ " His attention returned back to Naru, and this time, she felt like sticking her tongue at him like a much younger child. His features deepened into a scowl for a second before they were back to stone. His eyes seemed to flash for a moment, as if he never got that reaction to his face before. He said nothing else, but turned to leave, his cape swishing behind him.

Naru snorted and kicked a little dirt at her feet. "Who was that _teme?_ " she asked disgustedly. Tenten looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You've never heard of the shogun's younger brother...Sasuke Uchiha?" Then her face split into a smile. "He's training to join his brother's army, to show the youngest can amount to something..."

 _So, he's kind of like me...except he's higher in rank than I am, and I am a woman. Well, maybe I got myself a competitor, if I can show him..._

~o~

Tetsuo Ishii arrived two days later, after facing some issues with bandits on the way from assignment in Suna, Konoha's ally. In fact, when he arrived, some of the villagers cheered him on, which Naru heard when she came back with Jiraiya-sensei from a hunt. Once again, the _yumi_ and _ya_ came in handy, and the deer over Jiraiya's shoulders hardly even bleeding.

It was rare to hunt for red meat since their people survived off of seafood on their farms or in the rivers and great sea. The famed Toad Sannin was one of them, and just how many could do it as well as he did? It was also the first thing Ishii-san noticed when the two crossed paths, and Naru was with him, so she saw the man _baa-chan_ raved about.

She had never seen a man as handsome as he was: tall and leanly muscled, but there was a scar beneath his left eye from being struck at a distance by either a kunai or a shuriken - he was a _legend_. His hair was red-gold, eyes bright blue, and his jaw was a little rounded. He had the girls falling to their knees and sighing like they were in heaven. Naru only raised an eyebrow. Beside her, Sakura's eyes bulged before she was snapped to attention by the blonde.

"I don't think Granny would be happy that you're all over her old friend," she pointed out, making the pinkette's face turn red and her eyes into white balls.

"Don't be silly, Naru-chan! He's much too old for me!"

 _For me, too._ But she chose to keep her lips sealed.

Tsunade and the handsome newcomer greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek, and Ishii-san turned his attention to Jiraiya who still had the dead kill on his back. "Jiraiya, you're the man of the house, are you not?" he asked. "That's a hell of a kill you have made."

"Oh, but it's just me carrying it," the man said, laughing. "It was this little lady's job to shoot it down for us." He nodded down at Naru, who turned a little red and nodded. Blue eyes roamed over her, and his teeth were bared in a bright grin.

"Little lady? I don't know about the lady part, because for a moment, I thought I was looking at a boy." Naru glared up at him, slightly insulted, but he only laughed harder. _But that's what I feel like, not one of those stupid girls who wear dresses. I'm not like them at all, so I don't look like them...completely._

Yet, something inside her stirred because it sounded like he was _complimenting her._ She'd heard worse from Pervy Sage when he flirted with women which also made his wife angry at times. Tsunade cleared her throat. "Well, Tetsuo, I think I can now say you're an even bigger fool than my husband is," she stated, then nudged Sakura. "This is Sakura, someday to be just like me. She can cook the daylights out of a buck like that one. But Naru is still working on her own skills." Oh, cooking was one of the lady's duties she was still trying, but there were simpler things she knew, like ramen, fish, and rice - and desserts - so red meat was something much richer for her to handle.

Dinner went by fluidly, with Tetsuo giving the stories to her and Sakura about his service in the last couple wars, and he was among those assisting with helping Konoha back on its feet as well as offering his medic hands to their enemies who had quieted down following the peace treaty between their village and Iwa.

Naru then caught the way he sometimes stole a glance at her.

 _Granny said he was interested in me and Sakura, but she didn't say why..._

When the meal was over, Jiraiya surprised them all with the announcement he was leaving and would be gone for a couple weeks. He was on orders to head to the borders and see if any rogues and bandits would be on their way, then return to the emperor and be retired from his position with benefits for his years of service.

Tsunade huffed when she downed another cup of sake. "You get off easy and I am still working - and doing this." She held up her cup as emphasis, making her husband snort with laughter and Tetsuo pick up the jug to give her another round.

"Tsunade, enjoying the drink as ever," he noted heartily. "I remember all the times you, Dan and I shared the rounds when we could spare..." He stopped there at the mention of her late lover, at the faraway look in her eye that also had Jiraiya shaking his head.

Sakura pursed her lips and shared a look with Naru, at how Tsunade still missed the man she loved and then married another for companionship.

"So, while I am away, Tetsuo..." Jiraiya was watching him with a hard eye and slight smile in one. "...will you do the honors of keeping Naru company for me?"

There were no words to describe the surprise she felt when her sensei asked this man - this _stranger_ \- to train her and take her hunting while he was on the borders. Tsunade chuckled without a word at her expression, and Sakura could only giggle, before she was silenced altogether.

Tetsuo Ishii agreed, keeping his intent eyes on her all the while. Naru wasn't sure what to think of this, but a part of her was honored and a little flustered. What could go wrong while Pervy Sage was gone?

~o~

"Naru Uzumaki, huh?" he asked her two days later when it was them alone in the day. Tsunade and Sakura were both in the office attending to patients, and here she was taking care of the house. She hated chores, but they were key parts of being a woman. Being on a horse, wielding weapons and killing wild could only do so much. Chores had no excitement.

She was sweeping the floor when Tetsuo Ishii came to see her, watching her from his position on the rocking chair. "Yeah, that's me," she said proudly, flashing him her teeth. "Pervy Sage's favorite girl while Granny has Sakura. But they're both the parents I never had."

He hummed with a single nod. "Tsunade has spoken highly of you both...I'm sorry you never knew your parents, and for your pink friend losing hers," he said softly, his irises darkening a little with sorrow. Naru smiled at his genuine sympathy. She had been around him only for a couple days and liked him already. She didn't think a grown man - and a good-looking one at that - would give her such attention the way he was. But Pervy Sage did just that, and like she said, he was the father she never had.

"I have to tell you I lost my mother when I was a boy. My father was a physician himself and taught me everything I know...but when I was called to the frontlines, I gained more experience, and that was where I met Tsunade, Jiraiya and..." He trailed off then and there. "The one who should not be named." _The one who betrayed his village and left us._

"To betray a comrade or your entire village like this...nobody is worthy to be called a member or even a human being. They don't deserve to be called a Konoha warrior..."

Naru learned that lesson from then on, but it wasn't any different than the words of wisdom from Pervy Sage. Tetsuo smiled then. "You have friends, right, Naru?" She nodded. "Having friends is vital...but what about a boy?"

She jerked in disgust just as she finished gathering the last of the floor particles. "No way! In fact, I have no decision to marry, not even when I grow up," she declared, tossing her short hair behind her ears. "Granny says I might change my mind, since it's also required by tradition, but boys are just...immature. I love my life the way it is." She never got tired of flashing him her grin, which he seemed to like.

"In that case, how do you feel about being my new little friend until your master comes back?" Tetsuo offered. "I know he asked this of you, but now I am asking you myself."

She just couldn't say no to him, unaware of how in over her head she had been.

~o~

For the next couple weeks, she showed Tetsuo everything she had. A new weapon she learned was the _naginata_ pole-arm reserved for her size due to being female. He didn't openly say it, but measuring it with her own strength was enough. Naru found herself thinking what a...hero he was. Her feelings for him were becoming somewhat deeper than just teacher and student, and she was not yet reaching womanhood.

"A woman with the appearance of a man you'll become!" he joked to her, making her flustered. She started liking it better than being compared to the feminine girls around her, but Tenten had received the "beautiful" compliment from the various customers that always came into her family's armory shop.

One of the comments she might have liked most was him calling her fox whiskers _exotic_.

She should have caught on to him, because she was thirteen years old and starting to see the world in a much larger light than she used to, but damn it all; she never looked deeper into his eyes when he'd be looking her over much longer than he should. Sakura started to notice this herself, however, and Naru would regret not taking her seriously.

"Just...be careful around him," the pinkette said finally, sighing in resignation as she mixed some herbs in a bowl she'd helped Tsunade pick earlier at dawn. Maybe it was a prescription for a patient. "I can't tell _shisou;_ it'll just break her heart since he's a dear old friend of her and Jiraiya's."

Naru decided to keep it in mind just to be safe. And the next day, she was back out with Tetsuo when he told her that he had been asked to investigate the woods on orders of the emperor - and he asked HER to come with him. She thought this odd because Emperor Sarutobi wouldn't have approved of a young girl who wasn't even a warrior in the ranks to go along with him. Nevertheless, she was excited to shoot an arrow at an enemy or something like that...

...but it turned out to be something else entirely.

So far, during the day, there were no signs of an enemy, but around mid-afternoon, they stopped under a tree, and he passed a flask of water to her and then one to himself. Naru did not realize how thirsty she was until she drank it all down, making him laugh. "We should be back before sundown, Naru," he told her, then took another sip.

Suddenly, her head began to buzz. She frowned, reaching up to rub her eyes. _What's...happening...?_

Her world swirled and turned gray before darkening altogether.

When she awoke, she was laying down on the tree base, on her side, but something was odd about herself. Her tunic seemed out of place, tied as it was, but it wasn't the way she'd left it...

"If you so much as breathe a word to Tsunade or Jiraiya - or even that pink friend of yours - your blood will spill from your throat and onto my hands, I promise you that."

 **So, in a slight departure from male counterpart, Naru is more interested in history and politics, so likely willing to go for combat rather than ladylike interests. I read that in feudal times, the shogun was the military general, the highest in the nobility, and the emperor who is in fact the leader is really just a figurehead, therefore leaving the shogun in charge.**

 **While I was doing this chapter, I remembered an incomplete fic I read awhile back, with Itachi as shogun: UnInvited by Moonbeam Great Goddess of the Night. He's a firm ruler and great womanizer, but when he meets Sakura, he thinks she can't resist him like so many others before him - at least, that was how the entire story would go. Of course, he would have been rejected by her. There was also a moment with Sakura and Tenten (family does the weapons, too) that inspired me when the girls meet with Sasuke.**

 **In "The King's Damosel", the main heroine was raped in a flashback by her father's friend, a mentor to her, and it was utter betrayal that hardened her for years to come. Of course he'd threaten her life if she told anyone - and that day was when she thought she'd commit suicide because something precious had been taken from her (her virginity), but then Merlin the magician appeared before her and gave her reason to live on.**

 **Read and review. Stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	2. Orochimaru Lays Siege

**I really enjoy writing femNaruto, as in another fic of mine, "Merman's Quest" - though one guest review for that story called me a moron for not calling the character NaruKo, the feminine version. That's what justified me changing to Naru (and in other stories after that and this one), but really it was my choice, besides Naruko sounding too weird.**

Chapter Two

Orochimaru Lays Siege

Betrayal had never been so bitter and burning. Why didn't she listen to Sakura? _Too late now. If I tell her she was right, she will say she told me so - and what's worse is either he'll kill me alone as promised, or he would kill both me AND Sakura._

How could he do... _that_ to her? A thirteen-year-old, adopted daughter of a really close friend and old comrade of his - and once again, what was worse, betraying all sense of trust like that? And if she ever chose to go to Tsunade, the woman she loved as a mother, would her side be taken?

The answer smacked her in the face: _no. Never. Just like I'll never forgive Tetsuo for what he did to me._

She came back home before sundown, just as he promised. There were no words spoken, and in that entire time, there was nothing but the pain in her lower body and in her soul. She had been in darkness during the whole thing, so she had no idea what really happened. She didn't WANT to know. She feared if she heard the exact details, she would completely lose her sanity and what was left of her soul.

It was then and there she made the vow: she would get her revenge on him someday, if it were possible.

For a moment, she considered taking her own life, but there were still people in her life who loved her and needed her. That meant she had to continue living. Live for one day having his head on her mantle. Or if someone else got to him before her, she could live with that.

Tetsuo warned her one more time to keep her mouth shut or else her blood would spill from her own neck and stain her sheets crimson. With a clenched jaw, she bitterly agreed. That was the last time she saw him. He was gone, as promised, by the time Pervy Sage came home...and how happy she was to see him. Jiraiya laughed and took her into a spinning embrace before turning to his wife and kissing her. Sakura was happy to see him. "Too bad I didn't get to say good-bye to Tetsuo," Jiraiya said sadly, then shrugged. "But hey, kid, did you and he get along well?" Naru nodded, forcing the smile she always put on for everyone.

 _At least HE left before Pervy Sage came back, sparing trouble and humiliation. I can't take one more threat from him._

After her rape, Jiraiya had gone immediately to Emperor Sarutobi and received his benefits - but the man who orchestrated was none other than the shogun himself. In her mind, a military general having all the power, and the emperor just being a figurehead? It made her sick to think of it, especially when this general was the youngest ever. If his job was only to keep military strength in check and command the armies, why did it also mean he had to think about the people beneath him? It was an absolute waste of power, if you asked her.

Poor Tsunade was still working, maybe until she died altogether. Naru despised how her mother was treated like this, but this was the way of life for women. That meant she and Sakura were doomed to this fate, but the pinkette didn't mind at all. When the time came for Naru to marry as well, it meant giving up weapons and horses in exchange for the house and having babies. She didn't have experience with children, so she was worried about being the worst example a mother could be.

Why was she thinking about this at the tender age of thirteen - no, she wasn't tender anymore. She never had been. Her innocence was taken that horrid day, and by a man she thought she could trust with her heart and her life. From then on, she was on her guard at all times.

~o~

Tragedy struck the family when Naru and Sakura were fifteen years old, just two years after her humiliation and betrayal. Jiraiya died abruptly from natural causes. In his retirement, he took up writing literature and sold well, but now he was gone, leaving his wife and daughters to fend for themselves.

Tsunade did well for both Naru and Sakura, but Sakura also went to work with her. Learning fast and harshly, you'd wonder how she could still smile the way she did. And in Naru's case, she took care of the house and the crops. Their home was within the forest of Konoha, but not venturing to the heart or even further. It was large enough for their family, though not enough to meet nobility standards. Here they had sheep, chickens - a pig whom they kept in the house, named Tonton - as well as a few horses. Her times decreased going in to help Tenten with the weapons, but she continued to make herself stronger on her own. It was her responsibility to guard the home and her loved ones, which she couldn't be more than happy to do.

By the time she was eighteen, the girls were both full-fledged women. Sakura also no longer wore the red ribbon from childhood; her long pink hair cascaded freely down her back. She was so happy that all the patients who came to see her adored her; they even went to her more than Tsunade even, much to the dismay of the older woman! To see the look on her face made Naru laugh her head off.

She loved her short hair; now she was grown up, and Tsunade and Sakura both insisted she let it grow out, but she didn't have to let it run wild. Now it was held up in twists behind her skull. She was sixteen when this decision was made; the first time made her flinch at how painfully tight the knots were, but she learned to do it on her own, loosening them a bit so a few strands strayed and her scalp could relax. No migraines for her.

Today, Naru was so exhausted she wanted to pass out. Just now, the hens were done with laying their eggs, so she could bring them into the house. Some would go into the village, others kept at home. Twenty were produced today. With a heavy sigh, she carefully picked up the basket and started walking from the fenced area towards the house - but then the squealing of Tonton got her attention. She nearly dropped the basket but quickly placed it down beside the doorway. "Tonton!" She ran into the house and cried out at the sight of the man who stood there, with four others around him. The poor little sow was in a woven basket-cage, shivering with fright.

She wasn't sure if she was looking at a man or a living serpent, or a combination of both. His angular face was paler than normal, framed with long, stringy black hair, and his eyes were narrow but yellow. No human being ever looked like that. The four young people who were probably around her age looked no better: a rotund male with a balding head waving with a few tufts of red hair. Another was an abnormality of having two heads of the same face, his silver hair flat and greasy. The third male also had long dark hair, half-tied back, and what made her sick was him having _eight limbs._ What the hell was he, a birth defect or a demon spawn? And finally, the girl had red hair and chocolate eyes, but she appeared meaner than the males.

"What are you all doing in my house?" Naru growled, jumping into the air, wasting no time, and going for the _yari_ \- which was similar to the _naginata_ \- on the wall beside the wide window, and swirled it in a balanced hold before the intruders, only to clash with the _wakizashi_ of the redheaded girl, who then swooped under her to take her off her feet. Yelling angrily and landing on her side, Naru tried to get up only to find the sharp tip of the short sword poking into the exposed area of her shoulder as a warning.

"If you resist one more time, I'll slash your throat here and now."

"You think that threat scares me when I've heard it many times?" Naru countered, biting back a hiss when the point dug a little deeper into her skin, so close to piercing and drawing blood, but when it did, the dark red trickle vanished into her rugged _yukata_.

The serpent-like man chuckled deep in his throat. "Tayuya, lower your weapon. Jirobo, Kidomaru, hold her and keep her hidden until my very old friend and her little apprentice return." His voice matched his appearance very well - seductive but so treacherous. Fear turned her heart to ice when she realized WHO this man was, as she was lifted by the arms by the big boys.

Orochimaru - the traitor whose name was forbidden to mention among civilians even...but most of all, within the family.

~o~

Her mother and best friend were both going to be in trouble when they came home, and these unwelcomed visitors were keeping her prisoner, making sure she didn't do anything funny. In fact, besides keeping weapons on her, Orochimaru allowed her to walk free - but she was no idiot to think her every step wasn't being watched.

It was especially the Tayuya witch she was watching out for. The redhead wouldn't hesitate to stab her in the back if she had to.

The double-head whom she heard was named Sakon - he just had to point out that the house was one he could live in if he wanted to, and his "twin" behind his head, Ukon, concurred. The fat guy was Jirobo, and he seemed like the weighing anchor of the lot of them; he even was the one who got into it with Tayuya the most because of her nasty demeanor. Naru mentally called her _joō_ \- "queen bitch".

Poor Tonton was in the cage, but now the little thing was let out so she could do her business, except Orochimaru casually and sweetly said that the "pig may be roasted over the pit if one misstep is taken before Tsunade comes." Naru loathed him so much that it had no limits. How could her adoptive parents have been friends with this man? This man who...stole forbidden scrolls and texts to gain immortality? What human being would be capable of such blasphemous things? _The gods are going to curse him in hell when he is killed._

The day felt so slow because of having these people around. Naru hated being a hostage. Why wasn't she strong enough to take all of them? _Women will never be equal to men, my ass. They are strong as they can be, but still lesser than the males. But this guy is one of the big three like Tsunade and Pervy Sage._ She found herself roped behind her back at the wrists, and held by Sakon, shoved to her knees. The pig was back in her cage, quivering and fearful of what would happen when her other two mistresses would come home...

The bamboo door opened, followed by a jovial call of the mistress herself. Hearing the familiar voice, Orochimaru's teeth bared gleefully as he reclined casually in the rocking chair carved by Jiraiya's hand with Naru's help long ago. Currently, Naru was behind the chair, Sakon/Ukon behind her and keeping her quiet with a gag now over her mouth, putting his dart bow behind her skull as a warning for making any sound.

Tsunade's gasp was harsh when she entered the sitting room and saw the unwanted visitor. "Orochimaru! What are you doing here?!" she demanded heatedly. Sakura came in behind her, and the older woman ordered her to stay close to her.

"Tsunade," the snake man purred, soundly licking his lips. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"You're that man," Sakura stated, staying right behind her mentor and mother, reaching behind herself for her secret weapon. "You dare to come into our home like this - and where is Naru?"

He chuckled. "She is still here, unharmed, but never mind her for the time being. It's my understanding that my other old friend has been dead for some time now." Naru's skin bubbled as her blood boiled beneath, at the way he spoke about Pervy Sage like that.

Tsunade hissed. "Jiraiya's been dead for three years now. Is that why you came here despite being a wanted murderer? You've found out only just now? Or is it something else...?" she sneered.

Tayuya showed up then and there, raising her _wakizashi_. The blade glinted in the setting sunlight which seeped through the window. "Lady, Lord Orochimaru comes here peacefully." That insult was enough to make Sakura snap big time. Angrily, she pulled out her wrist weapon; attached in seven places were bowstrings with needles which were dipped in a special poison of her making. The aim was precise, so she would take out any number of them if she could -

\- but her efforts were dodged, save for the ringleader himself, Tayuya, Sakon and the big guy Jirobo. Kidomaru had been struck in his right eye, and he fell down, screaming and pulling the needle out of his eye. But the venom was entering his blood, and no one seemed to care about him anymore. The one who blocked the remaining senbons was the red-haired witch, of course. Seeing the dripping clear liquid, she hummed with smug disgust as she recognized what it was. Orochimaru seemed amused. "You've trained quite a hellcat, Tsunade. But if you would be so kind, can you please restrain her? The blonde brat of yours put up enough of a fight that we cannot have another, can we?"

"Sakura, calm down," the physician said firmly, then deepened into threatening. "Answer me now, then: where is Naru?"

"Sakon." At the simple mention of his name, the two-headed bastard poked at the back of her head with his weapon as his order. Grudgingly, Naru stood up, though it was hard when her hands were tied behind her back. When she did, she met furious amber and shocked emerald.

Sakon ungagged her at his master's orders before freeing her wrists and shoving her forward so she fell into Sakura. "And in answer to what I want, Tsunade," Orochimaru stated, uncrossing his legs and spreading them slightly, "it's for two reasons. For one, since you have been single all this time and therefore have no right to remarry of your will -" This was also a common law for women in these times: whereas men were free to choose another wife after losing the previous as well as the right to divorce, women were the opposite. And if she was trapped in a loveless marriage with a husband who mistreated her, suicide was her only option. Now this bastard, this monster...

Tsunade's fist clenched at the same thoughts she was having. "What is the other reason?" she growled. His smile broadened.

"Well, you know I am never one to lie...I intend to bring down the current leader of our poor little land, with you beside me."

~o~

Naru felt like she was going to vomit, and Sakura was worse. Despite dealing with blood, sweat and remedies every day, to think about their mother being affronted with this was on the same level as being orphaned at young ages, then losing Jiraiya much later. This man had the gall to approach her - undetected by Konoha's imperial scouts - and find them here outside the village. What was more: his plans were diabolical. Not only were she and her family in danger, but their entire village they loved so much.

Naru Uzumaki eventually decided enough was enough. A day of this mess was more than she could bear.

Orochimaru and his remaining three were staying camped outside the small farmhouse. This was a burden. All her friends were in town, so how could she get help from the other villagers? And she couldn't fight them all alone; it also meant trying to get help from the royal palace. The latter idea alone was foolish. Who was anyone to listen to a mere young woman like herself? An unmarried young woman at that, dressed like a boy.

When she told this quietly to Sakura and Tsunade in the bedroom she shared with the pinkette - safely away from the listening ears of their captors - both women looked at her like she had grown a second head. "Naru, it's madness!" her mother hissed. "Going out there alone -!"

"I'm not weak, Granny!" she returned, keeping her voice down. "Pervy Sage taught me good and well how to defend myself before he died. I can get help, and I will bring them back. You know I never go back on my word."

"Orochimaru is not to be taken lightly," her guardian insisted, taking her firmly by the arms and pulling her closer. "He could kill you after you are hunted down, or what will be worse: he would do to you what he has done to others. You think I'll just idly sit by and let one of my cherished girls be subjected to damnation?!" It was hard for her to keep her voice low when her anger was ebbing so damned much.

Naru cracked her a grin. Being worried for your life wouldn't get you very far. If they stayed and did nothing, what chance did they have to save their own lives and the entire village? Pervy Sage never would have backed down, and what the hell happened to the tough-as-a-nut lady who packed a punch with a single finger? _Beneath that pretty face, her real age must be getting to her._ "You think I'll just sit here, do nothing, and let everything and everyone I love - you both included - be reduced to nothing but worms for that snake to devour?"

Sakura interrupted them both. "Lady Tsunade, I think she is right. I don't like this any more than you do, but it's all or nothing," she said, stroking a nervous Tonton along the spine. The piglet oinked as she looked back and forth at the ladies' exchange.

Naru couldn't have been happier that her best friend and sister had taken her side - but now the big question was how she would have to get away undetected from their captors outside their home.

 **In the novel, Sir Ruber (the Red Knight) sieged the Lyonesse castle after the death of its lord, the father of Lynette and her elder sister Lyonesse, with intentions of marrying the older daughter and gaining control of the lands, but the clever and brave Lynette slipped away to get to Camelot for help in rescuing her sister. Now let's see how Naru's part plays...**


	3. How Naru Escaped Captivity

**To do Naru's adventure in seeking help and then returning to save her adoptive mother and best friend - it was challenging to think about, given women's roles in feudal Japan. But that did not mean they weren't capable. ;)**

 **I don't know how many of you know this, but there HAVE been a couple women in the Edo period who became empress of Japan: Empress Meisho and Empress Go-Sakuramachi. It was extremely rare for a woman to hold the position.**

Chapter Three

How Naru Escaped Captivity

The snake man and his lackeys outside the farmhouse was difficult beyond belief, because to get away, she would need a horse as well as her assorted weaponry. To break in, she had to be extra stealthy, and that was something Pervy Sage taught her to do. Women were naturally smaller than men, so their footsteps were all the more lithe and graceful. She thanked the stars for being gifted with this. _Naginata_ on her back as well as her crossbow, the kunai, shuriken and other hand-held tools on her belt, she opened the door of the room she shared with Sakura and stuck her head out to scout the area before she would get her entire body out there.

All was clear, but the horse stable was ahead. Along with it, outside in separate fence areas - but all connected - were the chicken house as well as the sheep. Good thing the distance was good and away from the house...but that also meant she had to hurry before the snake and his goons awoke. She wasn't even sure how keen their senses were to wake up at the slightest sound. But then Tsunade had to bring up an idea that she should have thought of right away.

 _Suppose they released the horses and replaced them with their own, to ensure that we wouldn't escape. And it wasn't like I was there to see it_. But she couldn't leave her weapons here just to make sure. It was all or nothing. "Take care," Sakura whispered to her, giving her the lantern she'd lit. If she was going to run the distance without stepping on the branches littering the ground, then that meant she had to hold the lantern before her and shield the light beneath her cloak. Which wasn't a problem, as it wasn't to tread the grounds since she knew them very well. She even prowled at night, getting used to the dark.

How hard was it to look over your shoulder at every turn to make sure that one of the enemies weren't there?

It made her a little ill to think about the corpse of Kidomaru which was buried somewhere on THEIR lands after being burned - she could still smell it, haunted if not as terribly as by what happened to her when she was thirteen - as if he'd outlived his usefulness. She loathed these people for that. Naru then forced the thoughts out of her head as she found herself in the vicinity of the stable, and after another double check, she opened the door of the shack, holding the lantern with one hand, keeping it in front of her so her adversaries wouldn't see it, and pushed it open to the inside, holding the paper lantern up and breathing a sigh of relief when she saw all the horses in place, with the exception of the three extras that she knew didn't belong...but the one she considered her baby and the fastest, strongest ever was right in front of her when her eyes fell to the northwest corner. She hurried inside and closed the door partially behind her.

The horse that came in mind was golden brown with a matching mane and tail. This was her pride and joy, raised by her own hand thanks to Pervy Sage. "Iru, good boy, it's just me," she cooed, taking him beneath his jaw and stroking the length along his snout. "You saw these monsters invade our home, did you?" He snorted softly, nodding once, making her laugh a little. "Don't worry; we are getting out of here and getting help."

She unlocked the door to his resting spot, opening it for him to come out, and she put down the lantern to pick up his saddle and throw it onto his back, fastening it beneath his broad stomach. Iru gave a few snorts and shakes of the head. He was named after Iruka Umino, one of her favorite teachers when she was younger, when she learned everything that was necessary for a girl to know in life. His parents died on the night she was born, but that was all she knew; however, it seemed that him being orphaned as she had been was the connection that made her feel he was something of an elder brother to her - he was her _aniki_ not by blood.

The reins were fastened into the horse's jaw, then pulled over his head so she, the rider, could get on at last and then lead the way out of the landscape. But not before she took the reins to lead Iru out of the stable, then closed the door as to not leave traces that someone had been in there. And she made damned sure to blow out the lantern so a fire wouldn't take the structure and the animals in it.

"Alrighty, let's roll it," she told him just as she kicked his sides firmly as soon as they were a safe distance away from the farmhouse, where her mother and sister were still captive and counting on her. _Poor Granny, Sakura, and poor Tonton._

The sky was pitch black as the forest around her, but there was enough light from the quarter moon. The emperor's imperial scouts were patrolling the forest borders at this time of night, though taking turns between men, and she wasn't sure she would be able to reach any on time. As much as she believed they could help, they were under orders of the emperor - but the real man in command was the shogun, and with his reputation, Naru Uzumaki would never waste time hearing the scouts turn her down. Which meant she had to get to the man in charge if it was the last thing.

But like she told Tsunade-baa and Sakura: she might not be taken seriously if she was a female, which meant that Tenten would be her last hope. Orochimaru was a dangerous man. She could reach the border if she had to, but the scouts were under direct order of the emperor, and that also meant going through to the shogun.

 _And him I'm going to, whether I like it or not._

Thinking about him made her remember his _teme_ brother; what was his name - Sasuke? She sniffed when she recalled his pretty little face that didn't mask arrogance and disrespect for her class. It had been years since she encountered him herself, and if she ever saw him again, it would literally mean a battle of the wills.

"Okay, boy, we're away, so now we pick up speed," she told him, and with kicks to the side as well as a firmer tug on the reins, Iru whinnied in understanding and began to pick up his pace.

However, just as they had done so, something whizzed past her face and erupted in a small fire that Iru trampled on without getting singed himself. Startled, Naru turned her head around in shock and held her gasp when she saw _Tayuya_ on a horse of her own, bow and arrow aimed as she chased the escapee down the forest path. But this bow and arrow wasn't _yumi_ and _ya_ \- no, this was the fire arrow _bo-hiya._ It was weaponry typically used by the samurai, yet she'd managed to get her hands on it and was using it against Naru Uzumaki, who swerved Iru to the side just as the next came for her only to miss again and explode before going out on its own.

With a strained grunt, the blonde let go of the reins, tightening her thighs around the saddle, and reached for her _yumi_ bow, then grabbed an arrow with geese feathers, which was pretty expensive, but that was because these had been made by Tsunade's grandfather, the very first emperor of Konoha, the craft passed down to the generations. Originally, the feathers belonged to large birds of prey, which were becoming endangered these days, so notably geese, turkey and even swans were in range. Owls were out of the question because it was said to bring bad luck.

She aimed the _ya_ arrow, releasing its end and firing at the weapon, hitting it in the metal tip which projected the little rockets. The results unleashed little sparks that startled Tayuya in dismay, and she yelped, letting it go when it seemed to burn in her hands, or was it just plain fear it would catch fire just because of a little arrow striking the place she was going to fire through?

"You really want to set the forest on fire at this time of night?!" she shouted after the one she personally named queen bitch. "You might not care about this place which is my home, but damn it, _joō,_ work on your aim!"

Tayuya's eyes bulged in shock at the foul name she had been called, and just as her expression was contorting and she opened her mouth to let loose another profanity, Naru had her down when she aimed the arrow to her left shoulder. She didn't care if she died or not. She was against murdering an innocent, but this girl was far from it if she served a monster like Orochimaru. _If there had been a different time, I'd crack that skull of hers to get her to talk. Or better yet: let someone else do the torture for me. Because if I wanted to do that on another, it would be on a certain someone..._

The chaser fell from her horse, yelling in pain, and the horse itself galloped over her without crushing her, before settling on circling her as she struggled to get up. Her pack of weapons had fallen off her being, but Naru couldn't afford to stand by and waste time. She put back her bow and arrow before retaking Iru's reins into her hands, guiding him ahead down the road, not pausing for anything. Within what felt like an eternity, she finally saw faint lights ahead which were lanterns that were still lit at this hour. And one of them was the one spot she was looking for.

The village of Konoha was in plain sight.

~o~

A few heads remaining looked up at her when she was just coming into the streets, and one of them happened to be none other than Tenten outside her family's shop, about to close for the night. Seeing the blonde on her horse, she stifled a little gasp. "Naru, what are you doing here at this time?" she exclaimed. Her rounded pigtails were let loose so they fell in straight lines on either side of her face.

Naru climbed off her beloved steed and tugged on the reins to guide him, the message which Tenten got and closed the front door of the shop behind her, leading the way around the side with her lantern picked up to light their path, until they reached the destination of where the fence was. She would tie Iru there for the time being, and there was a fresh bucket of water. "Father took the horse, so I'm here watching the shop and house," the brunette explained as she watched her friend fasten her animal companion to his place. Iru snorted and nodded with thanks; he must be very thirsty now after that run from home and away from that witch, if she was now on foot or had gone back to Orochimaru to report her failure. A small part of Naru hoped it was severe enough - but then that would mean he could send Jirobo or Sakon and his twin out in her place.

"What happened?" Tenten repeated, just as she was opening the back door which was where she and her father rested, and her mother had died so suddenly from natural causes when she wasn't even that old. "I'll get you some tea if you wish, and you can tell me everything..."

Naru sat down at the small table, after laying her weapons down at the door, comforted by the occasional snorts of Iru, nodding without a word. All she could think about was why she was here. "The one who was...just like Granny Tsunade and Pervy Sage," was all she could say, and Tenten's eyes widened with shock.

"Y-you mean _the one_ ," she uttered just as she was putting the kettle over the fireplace, hanging it by its stick. "The one whose name shouldn't be spoken aloud?"

"The one and the same, my friend," Naru answered, pulling around her the _yukata_. "He's back at the farm with two or three of his followers left - originally, there were four, one being killed by Sakura in a fight; I shot another myself on the way here, but I know not if she is still alive or not - and he has Sakura and Granny hostage." She closed her hands into one fist atop the table.

Tenten could say nothing but look at her with shock. There was no need for words.

The water over the fire was starting to bubble, which the maker stood up to retrieve, bringing it over to the table just as Naru volunteered to stand and bring over the tea leaves that she plucked herself. They smelled of _hojicha_ \- reddish brown with a roast flavor, and it could be made when the summer and autumn _bancha_ or the springtime _kukicha_ were roasted on high temperature. This was perfect for post-dinner. And boy, did she enjoy it after a hell of a day and most of the night. _But I feel so guilty. Granny and Sakura are still trapped in our own home by those monsters._

She spent half an hour or so telling Tenten what Orochimaru's plans were, and all the trouble she endured to get to where she was now. "If I had let myself be captured and taken back, I'd either have been killed or...raped," she finished, wincing at the memory which she had blacked out on because that drink had been spiked.

Tenten nodded with a nervous swallow of her tea. "Yeah, or what's worse: what they all say about him. He never leaves any survivors, and they say he's a demon instead of a human now, but nobody's ever really SEEN it, and even if they had, nobody lived to tell about it."

Naru looked over her shoulder to the back door where Iru quieted down, but she could still hear the sounds of his hooves, to let her know he was still all right. There was soon a splashing of water, notifying her he was drinking now. She managed a small smile to herself. She would take him up to the royal palace with her after they regained their strengths from the strenuous ride and fighting off Tayuya, but that also meant a new problem. And Tenten was in agreement when she spoke this up.

"If you're going up to them, you need to disguise yourself. After all, an unmarried maiden..."

"...dressed almost like a male, I get it," she answered in mild agitation. There was one idea she knew for sure, but would it be worth anything? It took two years for her hair to grow back to the length it was now, yet when she reached behind her head to pull it out of its twisting bun, pale golden curls cascading, she felt her lips twitch with a scowl of great frustration.

Tenten said nothing, already knowing what she was thinking. Her eyes glinted. "I say get one of your kunai for this, Naru."

And so it was done. She grasped one of her daggers in hand, and the thin sharpness lashed through the thick gathering of golden silk, tugging firmly against her scalp in the process, and the long waves hit the floor. Without the need to look into a mirror, Naru smiled with victory as she felt the old her return with a vengeance sweet as dumplings.

Looking into what was left of her cup of tea, she couldn't have felt more proud of herself. This showed the real woman with a determination to not be crushed by any man, and she wasn't going to waste another minute leaving her mother and sister in the clutches of that snake that trespassed into their den.


	4. Naru Affronted With an Uchiha

**I'm also in the process of "Night Flowers", the first in a saga (its two sequels having been out since a year before this), and now I finally come forward with this next chapter. Oh, and a while ago, I watched the next set of Shippuden in English dub, and MADARA'S VICTORY. :O The Infinite Tsukuyomi in play. Damn, I was ranting, in the cold sweat, and excited all in one. Even though the dreams for each person are filler, I kind of waited for the longest time for that.**

 **Next thirteen episodes to be released is yet to have a date set. But they come out every thirteen weeks at most.**

Chapter Four

Naru Affronted With an Uchiha

Step one: her hair was cut back to the short golden shock around her skull and ears. And at eighteen, a woman, she felt more like so than ever. Except she wasn't going to get into the imperial palace looking like one. Which Tenten saved her life on by offering a spare tunic and trousers of her own, all brown but recently washed. She was glad she wouldn't have to smell like a boy, because Pervy Sage never had something so foul-smelling about him - and neither did Tetsuo.

The sandy tunic hid the curves of her chest well, but she hoped that no man would end up reaching to grab to make sure - and they would get a bloody nose.

She had to stay during the night, since everyone was passed out by now, and did one day hurt anyone? But one more day would be a waste. She and Tenten spent much of the night planning her infiltration of the palace, when her father didn't return home until early morning. He had been away in the neighboring civilian town for a purchase of brand new weapons when he returned, surprised to see her, so she owed him her explanation. When she was finished, he wished her luck but also insisted she ask Shikamaru's help, since his family knew everything about spying and sneaking in.

But that also meant she had to leave her precious Iru here. For now. If she was allowed to return home with the help she got, then she had to beg, drop on her knees, to return for her best friend and steed. "I'm so sorry to leave you like this, my friend," she said softly as she stroked his snout and then rested her forehead against it. He snorted and nudged his nose against her cheek, making her laugh a little.

 _Don't be silly, Naru. It's not like he's going to die._

Still no Tayuya or any of those jerks, which was good news, but she had to hurry. So she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head in case they were spying on her. "Good luck, Naru," Tenten told her just as she was ushering her out the back door which was where she'd come through last night.

The day was bustling, which meant she could navigate the crowd easily. She ate breakfast which was mostly rice and eggs, but it was enough to prevent the trouble of filling her stomach. Naru looked around in hopes of spotting Shikamaru's face - and then she saw him when he was just leaving his family's hut. Grinning, she hurried in his direction, yelling his name. He jerked his face in her direction, and a lazy smile spread across his face.

"Naru, I didn't think I'd see you at this time of day. I was heading to the palace grounds for some more training..."

Perfect! "Well, glad, because I need to go with you. I have something urgent to tell you," she rushed, pacing beside him now, excitement and anxiety in her nerves.

He frowned at her. "Something THAT urgent you insist I bring you along on imperial grounds? When you're of no relation to anyone in the court?" he stated. "Not that I'm criticizing you or anything, but it'll be a real drag if you get hauled off before you say what's making you in a rush." She took a couple breaths to calm down before she answered - at the same time the imperial palace came into view beyond the vivid red _torii_ gate. The stoned bridge from the Shinto symbol to the Konoha Palace itself was constructed over a small part of the main river, and you could see the lush ivy crawling over the stoned walls ahead. Passing over the bridge, the water was murky greenish brown, but some fishes swam in from the east.

"Tsunade-baa and Sakura - as well as this entire village - are in trouble. That's why I have to see the emperor and ask for aid. Otherwise, my family and all of us are doomed."

~o~

"Orochimaru, huh?" Shikamaru said when she was done talking. His face was taut, but enflamed with anger. They were currently on a bench in the courtyard; she'd managed to get through when he told the guards she was a friend and companion from the village, eager to learn the arts of combat, and said her name which was _Naruto_ , rather than her given feminine version. _Well, it's the name for a boy, after all._ "Well, it's an even greater drag than I thought."

"It's worse," Naru said bitterly, looking down at the bow and arrow in her hands, and the rest of her weapons were removed from her belt. She didn't want to let the guards search her for protocol, hence discovering she was female, therefore deprived of her opportunity.

Shikamaru nodded grimly. "Got to get you to him fast - but there's also General Uchiha to go through. He's the one with the final say. Lucky for you, he's away in Kiri, so Emperor Sarutobi is acting in his stead." And if the figurehead himself was in stead while the real man in charge was away, that meant there was hope for her and her family yet. "The only trace of the general present is his younger brother who just returned from a dispute in Nami."

So, the younger brother - the bastard in Tenten's shop five years ago - of the high and mighty himself was in Wave Country which she'd heard was cut off from the outside world; she totally looked forward to hearing the story, she thought with sarcasm. "If that's the case, I'd rather avoid him," she spat.

"Oh, bad blood between you then?" her friend asked with a crooked smirk.

"Perhaps not a lot of contact, but one encounter I remember like yesterday," Naru replied. "He's a _teme,_ Shikamaru." Now this made him laugh, but not hard enough to wrack his entire body. He pulled himself together and cleared his throat. Back to business. "Now, how can I get inside? The emperor wouldn't settle an appointment at the last minute."

He nodded. " _Hai_ , but my father wouldn't have a problem with speaking to him. Before this day is over. Who knows what the snake could be doing to your family right now." _Which is the last thing I want to think about._

Shikamaru then stood up. "Pick up that bow and arrow, Naru. We got to find _Otou-san_ if you want this over with. The sooner, the better. Though I personally prefer to lay on the rooftop, you have something that leaves no room for slacking like me."

"Well, thanks," she told him, slinging the _yumi_ and _ya_ over her shoulder. She had to leave it along with her sword and tool belt with him because she didn't want to let them be taken by someone else. She took no chances.

"Shikamaru -" Oh, her luck again. Shikaku Nara, the man of espionage, was coming their way. "- I was wondering if I would find you. We are needed to meet with the tactics unit for Amegakure. And Naru, this is a surprise - but what will happen if it is discovered you are a woman?" he asked, soft spoken and stern-faced. Nobody was present but the three of them, except you never knew if there were other spies.

"I'm here because my family is held captive by someone who betrayed us all, and his intentions are to force my mother to marry him, have the land, and then try to overthrow the village leadership for himself," Naru answered without a waste of breath, "so I have to see the emperor, if I have to risk my life to force an audience, Shikaku-san."

He gave her a considering look-over, saying nothing for a moment...before he told her he was going to speak to the emperor now, then sent his son away to get to the meeting room without him. Shikamaru gave her one last consoling glance before leaving her alone. She was unable to contain her excitement and fear of being either rejected or her wish granted.

~o~

Her first impression of the Great Hall was the mass of color that blinded her vision. Polished red pillars ornate with golden dragons spiraled to a gilded ceiling of green and crimson. The boarded floors reminded her of the baskets women carried, though dark brown as the forest at night. The windows and doors were _shoji_ , the panels made of the same wood as the floor. She had never once been in surroundings like this that she suddenly felt even more envious of those who lived above her and her family as well as the rest of the village. _The same goes for the nobility who live outside the peasants. Bastards. I bet they relish the joy of being wealthy or close._

And sitting on the golden throne, regally garbed in white and red, and on his knees, was the emperor himself. Naru bit her bottom lip when she studied him. Elderly as everyone knew, with light skin, gray hair, and the top of his head covered by the hat. _Wouldn't be surprised if he was bald atop and doesn't want it seen._ His features were gaunt, complete with age spots and wrinkles, a vertical line beneath each eye and down the cheeks. He looked her over - but not out of contempt - the peasant "boy" who stood before him but then dropped to the knees like he. She did this because of protocol and hated it. She didn't have time to go through all of this!

"A mere boy from the village comes before me. It is not everyday and on such unexpected notice," Sarutobi said, his accent speaking of years of balancing personal with the people beneath him. Something told her that the years were taking a toll on him that he chose to leave the village in someone else's care - _the shogun general_ \- because he was too old to be in office. She couldn't help but feel disappointed in that decision, which explained why the old man was simply a puppet. Leader in name only. "Please tell me who you are, lad."

She made direct eye contact with him, seeing the kindness along with firm authority. "Naru Uzumaki," she answered, and then his eyes widened a little. She felt her insides freeze, mostly her heart. Did he recognize her somehow? Could he tell _whose_ family she was in?

"...I see." He then glanced to the armored guards and gestured for them to leave. She heard their footsteps vanish until the grand doors opened and closed in an echo. "I'd have thought, or at least hoped, the day would come when I finally laid my eyes on you again...my dear girl."

Naru stiffened in her kneeling position. She heard no hint of aggression at her deception, short-lived as it had been. "Your Majesty, you're not angry at me for hiding my true self?" she questioned. "It was necessary."

"Had others been present, I'd be forced to follow the rules of conduct," Sarutobi responded with a tilt of the head. "Jiraiya and Tsunade were my students -" A faint mist ghosted over his dark eyes at the mention of Pervy Sage. "- and the one whose name will not be spoken aloud." _He still cares about that snake despite what he did, does he? Well, old man, wait till I tell you why I am here. You might not be so fond now._

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind: did that mean he knew who her parents were? A long-distant memory slowly resurfaced that she hadn't thought of for years, when Sakura's parents were killed in the fire as well as a handful of the staff. Pervy Sage said this, and it was never answered: _"Say, you wouldn't be Kushina's then, would you?"_

"Then you wouldn't happen to know who my parents were?"

The old man's expression darkened slightly, which made her hold herself and clench her hands into fists. "That information was kept from public knowledge for very specific reasons, when the scandal was exposed." So, that meant she might learn, after all, even if Jiraiya, Tsunade and Sakura were the only family she knew. But she was disappointed. "But before we discuss this matter, I believe it's more important that you tell me why you have come here, Naru," the emperor said.

"Then, Your Majesty, I come to tell you in desperation that your old student - my mother - and my sister are held hostage in our own home at this very moment...by the snake whose name is forbidden by decree."

The shock was seen in his eyes. "Orochimaru - he has laid siege on your lands? He's slipped past our scouts and infiltrated!" He visibly clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. "Just as I feared. If only General Uchiha were here at this very moment so we can launch a full-scale attack. Naru, tell me everything you know now."

She nodded. "It happened yesterday during the day. I was watching over the house and the animals while Tsunade-baa and Sakura were caring for their patients in this village, when the snake and four of his pets came and held me in place until my family returned. He intended to marry Granny and then come to overthrow not only you, but General Uchiha as well, and take over this village we love," Naru answered, not leaving out a single detail but not pausing, either. "Sakura killed one of the lackeys out of defense. I escaped late in the night; I was pursued by one of the remaining, and it was a girl. I shot her in the shoulder with my arrow, so I don't know if she's still alive or not. My horse is currently back with my friend at her family's weapons shop, and come today without a moment to waste." If she had to wait one more day here...

"Very much, I have available men to assist you. A woman should never do anything alone, but I applaud you for your courage." She seethed at the belittlement of her gender, even though the elder had no willpower to change the way things were in the present. If only _someone_ would, then she and every other woman would be extra happy. "However, I must assemble the men myself and speak of a careful strategy. Hopefully, it will not take as long as you assume."

Something snapped in her. "Then I just sit here and waste time while Granny and Sakura are probably being...raped -" To say the vile word that happened to her, only the two women of her life were alert and aware unlike she had been, made her stomach roll with acids that bubbled with her temper. "- and it can't be prevented! It's no wonder the gods created us to be used for such base."

To her surprise, Emperor Sarutobi showed some signs of anger at her ire. "That will do," he said calmly but coldly. "But rest assured, I knew Orochimaru well enough to know he was never that kind of man. I highly doubt he would attempt it on Tsunade and your friend." Oh, but it did VERY little.

"Then what shall I do while you assemble your men without the general's cooperation?"

It turned out she was treated as a guest. Naru found herself in a room of natural wood, polished and stately, and the square bathtub was filled with a few lotus blossoms. She was attended to by a couple ladies in exquisite kimonos, faces painted like geishas, and they fed her fresh fruit and gave her sake, but for some reason and as much as she was pleased, Naru knew she couldn't indulge for long. The women bowed, hands clasped in front of them, and left her alone to cleanse herself with the herbal soap and lingering blossoms that had been plucked from the gardens. Naru could stand up then, water dripping off her naked body and her breasts jiggling with the movements, to open the _shoji_ screens and show a small walled garden of maple and conifer on various rocks and a smooth, small pond with a little spray of water in the center. She had uninterrupted privacy, but it wasn't guaranteed.

The sight calmed her down, and she was relieved no predator would be able to peek in, but she was happy that she could keep a kunai in here just in case. She turned to walk back into the still-hot water, submerging until only her head was above the surface.

~o~

Naru Uzumaki was dried and ready, sweetly scented like the rich perfume that was grass, woods and flowers, and wearing a simple _yukata_ of navy. It was fitted to her body, which made her concerned because she was now shown to be female in the chest, although the emperor assured her in the note left with it that she would participate in the rescue of her family and the defeat of Orochimaru and his lapdogs.

She was summoned back to the emperor's throne room, where the man himself was not alone. In his stead was a unit of ten men, to make the odds against Orochimaru greater, and all in samurai-like armor. _Maybe they are._ And then one of them stepped forward and removed his helmet, showing a shock of black hair and cold eyes that she hadn't seen in years. She heard herself gasp in dismay and frustration when she saw his face. His name felt and tasted like poison on her tongue.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Sarutobi-sama looked in between them with a twinkle. "So, you two know each other?" he questioned, and the Uchiha sniffed.

"Hn. I'm not surprised this woman knows my name; everyone knows me and my family, after all." Oh, why was she not surprised that his attitude hadn't changed at all? "But you seem to know me otherwise, _otome._ " The insolent title plucked one feather that sent a chain reaction of uncontrollable spasms throughout her body.

"Of course I remember you, even if you don't," she snapped, uncaring of conduct and etiquette. "Five years ago in the weapons shop, when you purchased a finely crafted katana not like any other, and you insulted not only the owner's daughter, but also a certain girl with foxy whiskers - like these." She brought both of her hands to her cheeks, tracing over each with three fingers in unison. His eyes widened slightly as his memory was jolted.

His men murmured to each other, and his death glare silenced them. While that happened, Naru looked over his body hidden well by the tailored armor, making her wonder if he was as fine as that face - no, damn it. She hated him, so why did she want to know such things? _Curiosity, that's all._ But his face, cruel and beautiful at the same time, was something to behold, which she hadn't seen since she was thirteen years old. And that low, baritone voice ruffled her again, this time up her spine in a way that might have felt...

She had no intention of showing him respect just like that day, which he seemed to have expected now that he recognized her. "Oh, now I remember you...Naru, is it? Disrespectful as ever, are you? We stood in each other's presence only once, yet I could never forget how you never fell on your knees like your _dātoratto_ friend," he sneered. _You - you bastard! How DARE you call Tenten a dirt rat!_

"Your Majesty," she raged, "is this _teme_ really going to be my champion?"

He frowned deeply at her inability to show proper respect, but nobody forced her down on her knees. "Enough, Naru. This is Sasuke Uchiha, the younger brother of shogun general Itachi Uchiha, and one of our finest soldiers. Do not be so quick to judge him based on one incident a long time ago. And Sasuke, this is Naru Uzumaki, adopted daughter of two pupils of mine - and the child of heroes."

 _My...my parents...my_ real _mother and father were HEROES?! What did they do, and who were they?_ But that wouldn't be answered until her family was rescued. Emperor Sarutobi cleared his throat. "Therefore, the both of you, consider it destiny that you work together. I have no doubt the two of you will share the credit rather than having it all for yourself, Uchiha-sama." Said Uchiha scowled before forcing it to a mask of zero expression. Naru did the same, still glowering at him in the eyes. The eyes of the _teme_ who offended her and Tenten, disregarding them only to get what he wanted. Such a man wasn't worthy of the position of defender for his lands and people.

 _Sasuke Uchiha...that arrogant bastard. I am NOT looking forward to fighting alongside him. As far as I am concerned, I don't trust him any more than I used to trust Tetsuo Ishii or even Orochimaru._

 **Man, oh man, to be forced to fight alongside the man who was rude to her as a teenager. But let him see what she can do. :D**


	5. The Bonding of Naru and Sasuke

**This story feels so natural that I'm not afraid of anything with it. :) Especially with the characters' feelings and situations.**

Chapter Five

The Bonding of Naru and Sasuke

"Tonight, will it be?" she spat when she was just leaving the palace with permission, escorted by Uchiha-sama, on emperor's orders much to her disgust. He didn't appear to like this any more than she did, which made her happy they agreed on _something._ When she got back with him, she was really looking forward to a sparring match with him just to show how strong she was for a girl. "Well, I suppose it's better than in the morning."

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "I'd feel better if you never came at all. What does a _girl_ know about swordsmanship and the arrows on target?" he said bluntly.

Naru rounded on him as soon as they were both at the beginning of the bridge before they would cross to the _torii._ "I know more than you think. I look forward to beating you before all your subordinates when I bring my beast back here," she stated, gathering the front of her garment and striding ahead with her head high, ignoring his grunt, telling her he doubted it very much. But the bastard had no idea he was in for a shock. And a MAN had taught her everything she knew, not a woman. But she wasn't giving this child of a soldier any more leverage than she already had. Not if she was forced to fight beside him to save her family and this village.

"You're back, Naru," Tenten noted as she greeted the blonde in the back, having been feeding Iru his midday meal, consisting of straw and water. "Here to claim him?"

"That's right," Naru replied with a grin. "We all leave tonight. The emperor granted me the permission...except you'll never believe _who_ is leading." She felt her lip curl as she clenched her teeth.

Tenten looked troubled. "Let me guess: the shogun general."

"Just as worse: his younger brother."

Brown eyes widened. "Oh, gods. I'm so sorry," the brunette whispered. "But I hope everything works out. With someone like Sasuke Uchiha beside you - and at least the emperor sympathized with you - I see the odds being one in twenty against Orochimaru." _Odds indeed._

Naru unfastened Iru's reins, tugging him away from his meal when he was done. "Told you I'd be back," she cooed, rubbing him along the nape of his thick neck. He snorted and turned his face halfway down to her, telling her that he missed her as much as she missed him. And if Uchiha so much as said one thing about her steed, he would face a kick onto his backside from Iru, because he knew who was trouble and who wasn't.

"I take it you don't need any more weapons, right?" Tenten asked, seeing the _yumi_ and _ya_ on her back as well as the _naginata_. Naru shook her head and thanked her with a smile. "Good luck then, Naru."

" _Arigatō_ _._ "

She then got on the saddle and hitched the ride out of the village, waving at those she passed by and got them in return, before making way back for the Konoha Imperial Palace where the topmost _teme_ himself was waiting for her, out of his armor this time, and she was a bit shocked to see him in a dark blue tunic and black trousers. There was no denying it: he was handsome. But that was as far as she was going.

His opinion on Iru wasn't what she'd expected. "He's not what I anticipated he'd be," he said, stepping further up to reach his hand out, and Iru snorted, galloping a little as a warning which caused the man to step back by two.

"He knows you're no friend," Naru told him with a smirk, petting her friend's neck again, and he calmed down enough to bow his head to tell Sasuke he would accept that caress of his snout. The duck-haired _teme_ smiled then, laying his palm on the beast's nose. Iru nudged himself as his means of accepting.

"What do you call him?" Sasuke questioned. He wasn't being rude, for now, and she felt a little relieved. She hated always fighting, but that did not mean they were through.

"Iru. For short, I named him after Iruka, a teacher from when I was a child. He is kind of like an older brother to me. I'm an only child, really, and so is Sakura."

He lifted a brow, taking the reins to lead them over the bridge, because she gave him permission and didn't feel like getting off her horse yet. Somehow, she felt like a maiden on the horse, led by her warrior in the stories on a journey. "You're both orphans," he stated. "What happened to your real parents?"

Naru looked ahead, just because she wanted to watch where they were going. The stables had to be on the east of the palace. "I never knew my parents. The orphanage was the only place I called home, until they let me go due to shortage in the economy. Everyone else I knew was being adopted, but others stayed so there was money to be made," she answered. "Sakura's parents ran the place, but they couldn't keep me if they wanted to. I was on the streets for a short period of time, begging and stealing to keep myself fed...and then one day, there was the fire. Set by an Iwa Shinobi." She could still hear the screams of the people trapped inside, and Sakura was in there with her parents, but the pink-haired girl who became her friend and sister was the only one she got out on her own.

"I went in there alone, because I didn't want to leave them there to burn - but Sakura was the only one who made it."

"You couldn't reach her mother and father."

She shook her head. "There was no time, and it turned out I was too small to save everyone," she said through her teeth. "I hated myself for it, for not helping them, because Sakura ended up just like me. Not only that, a couple of young children who had nothing to do with it also died!" It was then that she felt the streak of heat on her cheek; she'd let a tear slip. Cursing, she wiped it away with one finger.

Sasuke looked at her without a change in expression, except his features softened. "I'm sorry," he said finally. That was all he could say. He must have not known what it was like to lose someone - or was she thinking that too easily? She wouldn't be surprised if his parents were gone, because his older brother wouldn't be in command of the imperial forces if they weren't.

"Something tells me you know what it's like to lose family," Naru said. He nodded, saying nothing. For a moment, she thought he wouldn't respond, but he did when they finally reached the stables - which far exceeded the one at home. The sight of the many horses took her breath away. She'd never seen THAT many in one day, and in _one gathering._

Her new companion spoke in a low voice, suppressing the emotions he must have felt at the losses. "Father died in the last war, and Mother was taken captive by enemies in Mist. We never saw her again. _Aniki_ tried to save her and failed."

So, his father bravely died in battle while his mother was abducted, possibly violated and killed - _just like me, but I'm still alive_ \- which left him and his older brother who was the only family he had left. "I'm sorry," she whispered, echoing his words and starting to feel a little sorry for him now, as she said.

"Everyone I spoke to says that," he said bitterly, breaking eye contact with her. "What the hell do they know about what it's like to lose bonds?"

"I do."

Naru hopped down from Iru's saddle when she said this, and she did the honors of kneeling lower to unhook the leather from underneath. "I know what it's like to lose people. I never knew my real parents, but then Sakura lost hers, and we got each other as well as Granny Tsunade and Pervy Sage," she said.

Sasuke watched as she put the saddle up on the empty rack, clearly impressed that a _woman_ preferred such things over matters of the household. "Jiraiya and Tsunade. You and your friend were lucky, then." He sounded a bit envious, but oh hell to the no was he going to be that way with her.

"Don't sound jealous, Uchiha- _teme_ ," she scolded, looking at him over her shoulder. "You got your brother, so not one of us were left without anyone," she stated, but his frustration was back to the surface.

"You're right, _hai,_ but it's not like Itachi and I are close as we once were as children," he spat. "I decided after their deaths I wanted to be in the services, but after that, I learned I would have ended up there anyway as it's the way it goes. And while my brother has the entire Leaf armies, I am second to him and have a unit of a hundred in my name only, because I am the younger son. Tradition." _You hate tradition, too, like me. Well, I'm happy to know we agree on something else._

Something had clicked between her and Sasuke Uchiha at that moment. "What about you, _otome?_ " he asked her snidely. "You don't fancy tradition. I remember your face and standing up to me like it was yesterday, if it had been only one day and a few moments. No one has ever done that to me -"

"- not even a woman," Naru agreed, happy that he admitted to it all. "So, in that case, since we don't like custom values, is that spar offer still opened, Uchiha-sama?"

~o~

Was it going to be fun, weaving herself against his katana?

That damned blade looked like it was going to cut the pole of her arms in half if it made contact. _The very same sword that he picked up from Tenten's shop._ He'd said that he named his sword Kusanagi, because it was very special, translated to mean "Snake Sword". She wasn't sure why he would name it that, but if it was that much to him, she was impressed. "Kusanagi can cut through anything durable," Sasuke explained to her as they assumed the positions across the courtyard field. The yard that stretched was immense, but not the length of the river.

 _Then that means he can cut through the pole. Which means I have to be very careful to not let that happen._ This wasn't a real fight, just a test to show she was as strong and capable as he was, but she intended to treat this duel as though it was an actual battle. She was going to give him all she had, to let him know that he had permission to not go soft on her. "Before we get to our swords," Naru told him, putting her _naginata_ behind her back and then reaching behind her for her _tekko_ knuckles which slid on with ease and snug to her digits, finally grasping a couple of her shuriken that aimed for him, no specific target in particular on his body -

\- but then she was shocked to her core when his sword whipped out and deflected her twin stars, sending them to the ground, stabbing the earth on either side of him. _Damn it, he's so fast. I don't know_ anyone _that quick._

For some reason, she wondered if his elder brother was faster than he.

"Well, what else can you do?" Sasuke called out to her, his tone saying it all without that snide smirk of his.

Without a word, Naru drew forth her _naginata._ She threw out the blade section which came into contact with Sasuke's powerful katana. The sparks flew. For some time now, since keeping track was unimportant other than the fact it broke them both out into perspiration, the pair parried and threw many kicks towards each other's limbs and sides. They didn't hold back for anything. The craftsmanship of his blade was immense, but the man who manufactured it had also created her pole-arm. The Uchiha met his match. And while the Kusanagi was a ferocious weapon that could tear through blunt objects as well as soft and fragile targets, it didn't match up to the swift speed and craft of the pole which came out and whacked him in the middle of his abdomen just as he raised his sword as if ready for the kill. The impact sent him onto his knees, and his sword was still kept in hand, but that all changed when Naru reused her pole end, striking him again near the face that forced him onto his back, losing hold of his weapon which landed a few feet away from them. Far from his reach.

Naru threw herself on her fallen opponent, pointing the long blade near his throat. " _Jishu_ ," she ordered with a proud grin at the thought of giving himself up. If only an audience had been watching, even that brother of his. Little did she realize the thought was more foolish than knowing her mother and sister would be rescued.

Sasuke looked up at her with his smirk returning. "Hn." Then both his hands came up and boldly grasped at her thighs which were revealed when her _yukata_ rode up to her hips, and she uttered a startled gasp at the unexpected feeling that shot through her body from there, and before she knew it, she was on her back with her blade still at his neck, but Sasuke was now over her, her legs wrapped around his waist, and this position was beyond compromising. She didn't even know what to think other than the fact she had been taken off-guard by her prey!

"You fought well, _otome_ ," he told her, leaning in and pressing his throat further against her steel. It seemed he was willingly putting his life at risk over his victor, which amazed her to no end. But he didn't come any further, because she could see it in his eyes what she was now thinking.

She was too nervous to admit it since it had only been one day of telling him her story and him regaling a little of his to her, but somehow, she felt that this was what love felt like. After her family was retrieved and that snake killed, she wondered what would happen afterwards. What she could do to get him to say he felt the same...

 _But I don't even know what romantic love is. It feels like Sakura explained it was, but is it even possible?_

~o~

The afternoon was now coming to an end, and Naru found herself with Sasuke in the meeting room, laying out the plan to his men, all of whom were possibly sneering under their masks that she was a woman and had no right to be second-in-command over them. "That is enough," Sasuke, their chief, said coldly. "Her family is depending on us as we speak, and under Emperor Sarutobi's orders, we work together...or do any of you wish to have your heads removed before we carry out our mission?"

The threat silenced them so the strategy would begin. When night became darker, they would leave. It was best to strike the opponents when they were sleeping and outnumbered. Orochimaru evaded for years, and then he would be trapped by Konoha's finest.

The men filed out, without another look at her, leaving her and Sasuke last. "I believe they listened to you just fine," he told her casually as they walked side by side for the evening meal. Couldn't just go off on an empty stomach. She was a little excited at the food that would be prepped, though every cuisine in the country was the same.

Naru snorted. "Really? They kept scowling at me like I didn't belong there. And maybe I don't," she said bitterly. He scoffed.

"Because you're a girl? They should have seen you pitted against me," he stated, before his eyes flicked to her hair - a noticeable feature of her body besides her whisker marks - and then back to her face. "They don't see your capabilities just like it is of other men in these times and long before." She raised an eyebrow at his defense. It was still hard to believe he was a bastard, but now he treated her like an equal with the respect she deserved. She found herself wanting to call him a possible friend and comrade, save the love part when she was certain it was sincere and real. Because she was sure that the self-consciousness about her appearance was ever present. Men tended to have a weakness for beautiful women; it was one of their preferences.

But one thing bothered her more at the present: Sasuke was looking at her longer than he should have. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked suspiciously. "I've had older men look at me that way." _I feel I should trust you, but how would you feel if you knew I wasn't a virgin? Would you understand the betrayal I felt for a man I'd thought was a friend when he had been of Tsunade-baa and Jiraiya?_

He just looked at her without a blink. "I'm surprised you would imply that I am one of those men, Naru," he said. "You should know that not all men interested in you are the same. I have known several in my life. My brother is one of them."

"Well, I'll try to remember that." The only one she knew was Pervy Sage and now the emperor, even if she had only met the old man today.

"Hn. Well, anyway, did you always have your hair like that?"

Naru cracked another grin at his change of the subject. "When I was younger, because I hated to wear my hair long. I'm not like other girls, and no one can force me to be, even if they whip me behind or to any other part of my body. I have way too much pride to sacrifice myself in any way!" she declared with her hands on both hips and her chin high.

Sasuke turned his face halfway to her with a crooked, closed smile. "In that case, I like your hair better this way than long - just as I like your whiskers. You look like a fox. Except I'm not going to hunt you down as a trophy for the wall."

She could have sworn her cheeks were pinker than Sakura's hair.

 **Some of you might be wondering if Naru is realizing she is in love with Sasuke too soon just because of a sparring match in which she showed him her strength - and then they end up on the ground in a position we are all familiar with. But it's natural, therefore it is for her when she'd never once had physical contact with a male (when she was thirteen, when she was raped, but she'd been drugged and woke up after the vile act). Of course she might not know how hard it actually is.**


	6. Rescue of Tsunade and Sakura

Chapter Six

Rescue of Tsunade and Sakura

Sasuke Uchiha said she was like a fox, but he wasn't going to hunt her down for a trophy. He told her he liked her hair the way it was, and he wasn't Granny or Sakura-chan... _oh, in the name of the gods, I think I really am in love with this bastard. This divine, strong-as-his-own-sword_ teme. _I feel like I really found a companion in him, and that's all I need._

But she had been so absorbed in her feelings she completely forgot about society conduct, and that meant she couldn't marry on her own free will - unless the groom chose HER. Which meant that when this was over, she would have to somehow convince Sasuke they ought to marry, if her feelings were sincere enough, and Sasuke had to love her as much.

He said that not all men were like she implied he was. He didn't even know about Tetsuo, but he sounded very genuine. Trustworthy and without a pause. He was just like Pervy Sage had been, all her friends in the village - and did he say his brother was just as honorable? If that was true, maybe she could find the opportunity to ask him more about the shogun general besides his great victories and the whole basket. She didn't just like some great warrior, but an honorable man like Sasuke who may have not understood in the beginning but actually took his time - and then started to make her trust easier again.

She and Sasuke had a nice, subtle meal of sushi, rice and _ramen_ \- oh, joy! Her favorite had come before her, and she wolfed it down, forgetting her manners. Sasuke looked at her with a raised eyebrow over his own. "I had no idea a girl could have a really large appetite. They have always had good manners."

"Well, we do, behind closed doors. And as you noticed, I'm not just any girl."

"Hn, I suppose not." He smirked. "But what about your...friend, the Tsunade-to-be?" This was the first time he asked about Sakura, but he'd forgotten her name.

Naru set down her half-finished bowl. "Her name is Sakura, please remember." His brow twitched at that. "And she's trained in medicine, taught by Granny Tsunade. She really enjoys life better than I do; she's even more ladylike than me, with long pink hair..."

"P-pink hair?" Sasuke sniggered. "I've never known _anyone_ with pink hair. Maybe she is someone sent from the other world." _He might see what a great girl she is when he meets her._ "And as for how long it is, I wonder how you wore yours before now."

"I did say it used to be long, and Sakura tied it back with blue ribbon when we were girls," Naru answered lightly. "I didn't really like it, but I let her because it made her happy. She made me feel like my own woman - but I was thirteen when I first cut it like now. And a few years later, it had to grow back so I was more...feminine." To say the words was foreign, because she was far from being like Sakura and always had been. She looked up at Sasuke with a slight smile, picking her bowl back up.

"I think you might like her if you met her."

"I think I might," he agreed, but the interest didn't seem present.

~o~

Night fell.

Predator hunted the prey in the darkness.

Here they were outside the perimeter of the farmhouse. She inhaled and let it out. _Home. Hold on, Granny, Sakura. We're coming to get you._ The horses were all tied behind them to trees, but nobody intended to flee until the job was done. Except Naru knew, deep down and based on what she heard from those in the armies as well as members of the soldiers' families, death would take anyone on duty.

Naru Uzumaki wasn't even a soldier, so she was a little frightened. But there were eleven of them - herself included - and three or four of them, if Tayuya had survived. If she saw the witch, she was gonna personally give a killing shot to her eye just like Sakura did to Kidomaru. Maybe Sasuke would praise her for killing an enemy.

The plan was to slip in and give the silent killing to the lesser minions, but Orochimaru was to be saved for last, and to make damned sure her mother and sister weren't harmed. She put her hand on her new _wakizashi_ which was hidden beneath her garment as backup, and the other on her _naginata_ which was on her back, attached to her waist. This was going to be her first real fight, and she was thrilled. _Pervy Sage, if only you could see me now. I hope I make you proud._

Sasuke looked beside her, his gloved hand on the hilt of his sword. "Get ready," he whispered to her and to his men who aimed their bows and arrows. What terrified her was that there was _fire_ attached to them. They intended to burn down her family's home, but at least it was safely away from the animals. The intention was to divert the attention of the lapdogs and bring them out in the open so she and Sasuke would go in for Orochimaru and her captive family.

"I can't believe it," Naru hissed. "Our home to be burned down just to rescue my family -"

"But it is necessary," he cut in. "Nothing goes unscathed. Besides, my brother and the emperor can assist you all after this. You won't end up with nothing." He sounded so sure of it, but then again, this was her family's life that was going to change after tonight. She was sure of it now. But it hadn't happened yet.

"Then I have no choice but to trust those words."

He grunted and nodded once. That was starting to rattle her nerves a little, but this wasn't a good time to argue. On his signal, the firing of the arrows began and made way towards the glass windows, alerting the enemy inside that they were being attacked.

Bursting through the front door were none other than Jirobo and Sakon with his twin's head on his back. Both armed, but with different things. The fat man had the _bo-hiya_ which she remembered Tayuya had fired - which told her the red-haired wench was dead, relieving her - and the double-headed freakshow looked like he was having the time of his life when he took out a couple of pronged _sai_ blades and flung them forward, where they struck two men. Neither of them saw her and Sasuke as the others leaped out of their hiding places and began to go to the attack.

And as soon as they were inside, something flew past her head, but she quickly caught it. It was a dart dipped with poison. "You bastard, or bitch," Naru shouted, "whoever fired this is going to PAY!"

"Now, now, that is some foul language you have, but nothing compared to Tayuya-kun."

She seethed as she recognized the voice that slithered across her senses and rattled her nerves, causing them to snap as she drew forth her bow and arrow at the sight of the man with the long black hair, wild about his face as the flames started to pick up and lick at the beloved home she shared with her mother and sister, wherever they were now. But he was in her way, so she was going to shoot him down...

...but he caught the arrow with a single hand, without trying too hard. He snapped it in half at the same time her temper thread did just that. She was just reaching for her hidden sword when Sasuke stopped her. "Leave him to me and go find your family."

"Why?" she hissed. "We can take him together fast!"

"And he _will_ go down," Sasuke gritted, "if you save your family. I have the best chance against this man because I've dealt with his kind before. Don't assume I'll take all the credit from you, remember?" Naru glared at him, extremely loathing that he had to remind her what the emperor said. But she relented and let him pull out his katana, then threw his body into the air, shouting in their tongue for the duel to begin. Orochimaru's leer stretched to either side of his face as he pulled out a sword of his own that was eerily similar to Kusanagi.

Sasuke's bellow made her body leap from its place and dash forward to where she would search for her family. "GO, NARU!" She spared not one more glance as she did not find Tsunade, Sakura or Tonton in her mother's room, so that left one more place, and the length of her _yukata_ was picked up - the _wakizashi_ skillfully remaining in place - so she could run.

As expected, her mother and sister as well as the piglet were in the room, but what she was gifted with made her blood boil her flesh to bubbles. The faint bruise on Sakura's right cheekbone, below her eye, made her rush forward and sit on the edge of the bed with her knees. "Naru!" Tsunade said, sitting behind the unconscious pinkette and cradling her close. Tonton sat at the foot of the woman's feet, having been asleep and was now waking up. She oinked with joy at seeing her other mistress, but then her nose picked up the smell of smoke, squealing and jumping off the bed.

"We have to get out of here!" Naru shouted, picking up Tonton while her mother slid off the bed, picking up Sakura who was starting to wake up to the commotion. Groggily, she looked around her, and then her eyes widened when they saw Naru and mumbled her name, happy to see her but was very tired and obviously in some pain. Whoever struck her was going to die, but not by her hand as much as she wanted to.

The reunited women along with their house pig entered the main area of the house only to find the main doorway blocked with fire. "Damn it all, Naru!" Tsunade shouted, setting Sakura down just as she insisted she could walk now. "You come and rescue us, and now our home is going to burn down! You better go back there with me and find those few treasures before they go down!"

She could hardly believe what was happening. Their home was going to be burned down while a fight was happening outside as well as inside, and she wanted to barge around, wasting time, to get what few precious items they had! _But she's right. I don't want us to lose what few gifts we have, if we can't save all of them - but if we move fast, we can still make it._

One of them happened to be the red scarf Tsunade made her when she was just thirteen years old.

~o~

Seeing Orochimaru dead, with Sasuke's blade through his heart, was satisfactory as much as it was to leave his corpse as well as Sakon and Jirobo's to burn with the rest of the house. To watch the place that was given to them in the event of Jiraiya's death go down to a crisp was like the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one. It wrenched their hearts but also replaced the holes with a new filling because they were informed that they wouldn't be abandoned just like this after tonight.

Getting up on an enthralled Iru, Naru looked over at Sasuke who wore a firm mask. "You've done well," was all he said to her. Not even a smile. She only hoped he was just exhausted and wanted to get back to the palace as quickly as possible. She couldn't agree more, and her family going back with them was an even greater joy. But then Sakura had to ask what would happen to all their livestock who were still in the barn, untouched - including the horses that belonged to their enemies who held them in their own home for a day and night. "They will be cared for and retrieved by dawn," Sasuke told her, and Naru could have sworn she heard a tint of irritation in his voice.

Sakura was still holding Tonton in her arms as she was escorted by one of Sasuke's remaining soldiers, and Tsunade was on her own with one of their own breeds taken from the stable. The smell of smoke taking down their beloved abode had never been so unwelcoming - but what Naru was happy to carry on herself was the red scarf wrapped around her shoulders. When Sasuke saw it, his glance was short but appreciative.

Konoha Village came right before their eyes, and before they knew it, they were riding through the streets which had some people coming out of their doors to see what was happening. Some called out to her mother and sister because they adored them very much - but in the morning, they would learn she, Naru Uzumaki, who was the daughter and sister, had gone to the emperor for help in rescuing them from one of the greatest, most dangerous men in their time.

First, Emperor Sarutobi was waiting for them.

 **Well, the action isn't tremendous, but I hope it satisfied enough. Sometimes less is more, and it felt smooth. :) Now that Naru and Sasuke rescued her family, let's see what happens now.**


	7. How Naru Became a Damsel

**Somehow this was harder to do than the previous chapters. No words can describe it, because political intrigue isn't always my agenda. But I hope it was worth it.**

 **No spoilers to say, but Naru finally receives something important that she'd been missing all her life - and a certain someone FINALLY shows up in here.**

Chapter Seven

How Naru Became a Damsel

"Tsunade."

"Your Majesty," she answered as she knelt in the middle of the _tatami_ mat. Naru was on her left, Sakura right. All three of them were yet to be taken to freshen up again after the night's events. "It's been a long time...Sensei." There would have been a drop of disapproval after the exchange of old master and student, but then again, Naru might have been wrong.

Sarutobi nodded once with a hum. "It's a shame we had to reunite under these circumstances. And only one of my students remains. May Jiraiya rest in peace - and I wish I had something to say of Orochimaru had his actions not been so transgressive," he said coldly, but Naru heard the underlying sadness. In another life, he must have considered Orochimaru as something of a son to him as he did Jiraiya. "But what's done is done. What matters now is that you are all safe, but I regret that your home has burned to the ground with little possessions recovered."

"Yes, but Orochimaru - after all he did, it's unforgiveable that he would think to make me marry him and then usurp you..." Tsunade's voice failed her, and if she continued to bite her lip that long, she would draw blood.

"Hmmm." A long moment passed before the emperor spoke, reaching up to scratch his chin. "Indeed. But no matter. Tonight, you shall all take a rest, and then tomorrow, we decide about your future. However, to take this out of the way, I've considered a reward if recovering your family, Naru, succeeded. I am appointing you to be my weapons specialist as well as the caregiver of the stables."

Naru heard herself gasp in surprise, more than shock. Somehow, she never saw a position in the royal palace coming; she could hardly even breathe, but she bowed her head. "S-sire, I don't know what to say." She wasn't sure she could find it in herself to accept this, but if it was a command, then she had to accept. On the other hand, it seemed like a really good position than just being at home all day. It meant she could have access to more weapons, defend the animals, and she could have more chances to become a warrior! It also meant she could see Sasuke as often...

"You need not say anything. Tsunade, Sakura, with that decision made, I wish to appoint you to be the heads of the medical staff. We recently lost our physician due to very grievous causes. However, for all three of you, you shall not be confided to within these walls. You may still make regular trips to care for those in the village in need of your services."

Both her mother and sister could hardly believe what they were hearing, either. But they agreed in a heartbeat as she did. And later when they were all in the bathhouse - and it was Naru's second time to be in there - it was Tsunade already under the steaming water of the indoor onsen while Sakura was just getting ready to dip in, pulling the sheet from around her body, but Naru sat on the edge, with her body wrapped up. Tonton lay on a cushion, being served some various fruits and falling asleep after she was full.

"This is the life," Tsunade said with an exhale. "I haven't felt this good in years." She dunk lower beneath the waters up to her chin. If she pushed her chest up, both her poor adopted daughters would have been cursed with the sight they were better off living their lives without. "But Naru - have you considered it would end up like this? I never would have in all my years of life or even my wildest dreams!"

Naru shrugged as she put her hands in her lap, gently kicking the water with her feet. The steam moistened her skin, causing some droplets to escape the pores. "I didn't either, Granny. All I could think about was saving you both," she said, watching as the elder's knees came up to break through the surface, at the same time Sakura was dipping herself in, keeping the sheet over her until she was all the way in the pool, tossing it over the edge afterwards.

Sakura looked at her blonde sister and best friend. "So, Sasuke Uchiha - he actually came and rescued us with you," she said, a faint pink on her cheeks to match her hair. She was actually _blushing_ at the mention of the arrogant Uchiha - _arrogant but brave and handsome._ Naru suddenly worried that she and her best friend would end up competing against each other over him, which she always thought was stupid and foolish. For girls who fought over one man, it NEVER ended well. If anything, she would rather focus on her happy new position even if something might not change, except the fact she had a whip master to possibly face over a slowdown or error.

But that also meant her family was also elevated as chiefs of medicine for the emperor, the staff - and the shogun general himself as well as his armies. The other Uchiha was due to return, but she never asked when. Not that it mattered right now. All that was important was she and her family were here and celebrating tonight. Tomorrow would be extremely great when word would get out. She was excited to hear her name being spoken, but she also had to expect negative connotation.

"I hope he didn't give you any trouble, because if he's the spoiled brat he's spoken as..." Tsunade started, sitting up a little higher and lip curling. Naru laughed nervously, choosing now to duck in with them, but she left her sheet on herself.

"No, he's like that at first, but he's not so bad once you get to know him." _But I hope Sasuke turns Sakura down if she tries to make a move on him. I saw how disinterested he was in her._ It was a cold, selfish thought, because she always shared with Sakura - except now the one she used to hate so much had changed her viewpoint altogether.

And how could it have gotten so much better than it already was, after a dramatic day and night?

~o~

The shouts of joy from the villagers when they rode through was like a sacred festival. How odd it was, but so exhilarating. Naru never thought she would have this kind of attention on her as she rode beside Sasuke on her beloved friend, and behind her were her mother and sister - but in front of them all was the emperor in his carriage held by four men, two in front and two in rear.

Flowers were thrown at them as well as natural grain rice, but not in monstrous amounts. She wouldn't care if some of it got in her hair, but she knew Sakura would. But it wasn't like she was vocal about it, except behind closed doors. "After this, we are off on our separate ways for the time being," Sasuke told her, sparing a glance. "You'll be at your post while I take my men back to your old property for the retrieval of the livestock."

She couldn't help but feel sad that those animals her family cared for in the event of the loss of Pervy Sage would be in royal possession until given to others, but at least she would keep Iru because he was her pride and joy. Sasuke smiled lightly when she told him this. Now it made her stomach flutter, like a butterfly in flight. But was a smile really the same as him saying those three words that changed _everything?_

When they returned to the palace, it was onward to work, and that was when, as soon as she was in the new clothing that was given to her - although it would get dirty from being on the grounds - which was a white tunic tucked into red _hakama_ trousers, she met the master of the grounds who was also the one who oversaw the royal hounds. His name was Kakashi Hatake. He was young, but older than she, Sasuke and Sakura, and he had silvery hair as well as a black cloth that covered the lower half of his face, and another over his left eye. "Heh, never in my life did I think I would see another woman who won the eyes and ears of the higher-ups," he said, and she did a double-take. Had she _heard right?!_

 _He said there had been_ another _like me._ Naru led Iru by the reins into his assigned stable, which was alone and reserved, but he would still be among his own kind. "You mean a woman did what I did before?" she asked, curious. If he was trying to set her up, she wasn't going to be tricked. She didn't know him, so she wouldn't be too careful because of the sheer look of him. But she would assume that he'd seen and been through a lot, so now he was stuck training the hounds, right?

"I knew her a long time ago," Kakashi answered, "when I was younger than you are now. Long story short, she was in your position, because she was supposed to be a stable girl." By this time, he handed her a brush so she could give the treatment to Iru's mane, and then the other steeds would receive it. "Although, I hate to say that she was killed when she went to fight with us men."

Why did that not surprise her? There were only a FEW times in history that a woman of their people was named a hero, as rarely as it was to be empress alone, but now she was piqued with more knowledge on this mysterious person. "Who was she, Kakashi-san?"

"Rin. But many called her foolish, except I knew her better than anyone. She tried to save a fallen friend of ours from the bloody field, and she was struck with an arrow through the heart in the process." There was a twinkle of sadness in his only revealed dark eye. "I also lost my eye and nearly died myself when I tried to save them." He put his hand over that covered part of his face.

"I have this as a reminder."

Naru looked down at the straw-covered ground. "Guess we both know what it's like to lose someone," she said softly. He chuckled.

"I did know Jiraiya, and so did the man who taught me in the imperial army. In fact, they were both master and student themselves." So, Pervy Sage was the mentor of the man who did the same to Kakashi. What was this, a somewhat family bloodline? "I suppose Master Jiraiya handled you well, as if you were a boy instead of a girl. He used to tell me about you."

She could have sworn that her cheeks were pink as they were when Sasuke started treating her like an equal instead of a subordinate. "Pervy Sage must have had enough to say about me," she said.

Kakashi looked at her with a faint hint of amusement. "Well, you know, it's nothing I haven't heard regarding a young boy or girl - and one with whiskers of a fox, which Jiraiya used to tease you about," he told her slyly. "Something that you never got from your parents." He halted then and there as if he said something he never should have.

As for Naru, she couldn't believe what she heard herself. He said...he said he knew her parents. And all these years, she'd grown to accept that she would never know them because Jiraiya, Tsunade and Sakura were the only family she knew, and so had been Kizashi and Mebuki for a short time before their deaths. It seemed now that Kakashi Hatake brought them up, she wanted to know. "Go on."

He shook his head. "It's better to leave the subject for now and get to work," he said firmly, his tone booking no room for debate. With a frustrated sigh, Naru resigned and set about grooming the horses, feeding them and taking them around the fenced areas for their exercise.

All day, in her mind, was the whirlwind of questions and how to ask them.

~o~

"Tsunade-baa, tell me who my parents were."

The woman looked up at her with a slight frown on her face. "Naru, this is the first I've heard of your parents. You haven't asked since you were eight years old," she said as she was mashing some herbs in the bowl. She sat on her knees at a table arranged with all her medicinal equipment because the emperor had a case of cold sickness that had started to take place this morning. It was now day two for their residence at the Konoha Imperial Palace.

Naru sat across the table, lotus-positioned unlike the woman who was the only mother she had. "You're right," she agreed. "I hadn't asked in years, but now I want to know. Kakashi-san said he knew both Pervy Sage and...my true parents." _In not too many words, but enough._

Tsunade huffed. "Well, you're old enough to know now, I suppose. But will it change your view of us?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No! You're the only family I have had. But I simply want to know." The older blonde nodded, finished with the herb smashing, and set down the bowl and spoon-like stone piece.

"Know first that your parents were from separate ranks, which is why you ended up where you are now," she began. "You remember Jiraiya asking if you were Kushina's girl, right?" Naru nodded; the memory was still clear as the sky without a cloud. "Her name was Kushina Uzumaki, but your father didn't share the same last name."

If her parents didn't share a surname, that meant they were never married, but why? Was it true they were in the noble class, or was only one of them? "Who was my father?" she asked.

Tsunade chuckled lightly, eyes sparkling. "Everyone called him _Kiiroi Senkō_ \- the Yellow Flash. But his name was Minato Namikaze. He was from a very good family, and a fine soldier in the imperial forces. In fact, he was claimed to have taken out a _thousand_ men from Kumo Village before any could blink. For his young age, he was on the battlefield in the second war more times than you could count, just like many young boys in those days." _And today._ Her eyes then glazed over like honey.

The story went on as she explained: the events took place during the Second Great War, long before she was born. Majorly, this happened mostly in the village of Ame, a depressing place where it always wept from the heavens. Two decades of peace eventually led to an economic crisis in certain countries, and thus military action to fight for equal rights began, which brought the small Ame into the midst. Its emperor was a ruthless man who had his own village on the brink of near destruction, many people dying, children orphaned, but in the major five countries, the casualties were no different, except Ame took the brunt of it.

During the Second War, this was where Tsunade-baa, Pervy Sage and Orochimaru received their dub of Sannin, where her adoptive mother became renowned with her medical healing - but it was also when she'd lost Dan, her love before she married Jiraiya. Hence, heroes were made but friends, loved ones and comrades lost. Naru's parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, were among the faces to rise up. And as Tsunade said, her father became known as the "Yellow Flash" at a young age, before he met her mother on the battlefield - but they knew each other beforehand.

"The Uzumaki were once a great clan, but then their home, the Uzushio Village - located within a land surrounded by whirlpools - was destroyed one day during the fighting, because of their excessive knowledge of special sealing that could have fallen into the wrong hands, so nobody possesses such intel anymore. Not only that, the Uzumaki were distant relatives of my Senju blood." This was the first time she learned this, and how could she have not known all these years?!

Naru had no further time to fuss over this, but when the older woman said her people and Naru's real mother's were distant cousins, she felt overcome with joy. So in a sense, she and Tsunade-baa WERE related! She almost jumped across the table. And what was more: the clan was composed of ninja, both man and woman with equal rights. But the survivors scattered across the nations for refuge, and Kushina was one of the last to be in Konoha.

 _Mother...she'd been orphaned, and she came here._ To find employment in a household, it turned out, and she still learned everything necessary for a girl to know - but she also happened to wind up serving the _Namikaze_ household. This bothered Naru very much; if her mother had been a really exceptional _kunoichi,_ why was she a servant of all things? "Well, you don't find yourself everyday on the frontlines or the borders," Tsunade huffed when asked. "As I told you, your father was from a good family, and his parents allowed Jiraiya to train him. I never had a child of my own, so in a way, he was the son we never had." A small smile tugged the corner of her mouth.

"Your mother was one of several employed. And that's when he noticed her. It's a shame that his parents forbade him from the likes of her - but they underestimated her."

This was where her mother's assassination skills came in. This was some time before Orochimaru went rogue, too. Kushina chose this opportunity to escape with Minato, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru as they infiltrated Ame with several others, and that ever-raining village was rife with chaos. One option left, and that was to slip into Emperor Hanzo's compound and pose as a geisha. That would be the job of Kushina, since the man known as the Salamander hadn't seen her face as he did Tsunade. "Hanzo the Salamander, the emperor of the village, had driven his own people to near destruction." Tsunade shook her head, her low ponytails shaking behind her head. "In his palace, she put on quite the show, your mother." She shook her shoulders, and in doing so, caused that heaving chest of hers to jiggle. If a man saw, he would have the nosebleed of the century. "But a bold, grave mistake transpired. He had Shinobi guards on post, but it was too late to detect them. She had been delivering him the poison we made together, which she coated onto her kunai and sliced his throat, delivered him a quick but painful death. She'd done the deed, but the guard burst in and hauled her out. Jiraiya, the bumbling fool, was enjoying some time with the ladies, and I was going to blow my own cover amongst the patrons outside the private rooms of the emperor now that the job was done - and if I ever got to her, I would give her more color to that pretty little skin of hers - but then your father burst in.

"There he was, the man who slayed a thousand Kumo warriors unlike a regular soldier. Kushina was disgusted that she had to be saved; the girl really hated that position, a fact I knew too well. But you cannot do everything by yourself, man or woman. And it was then that I saw the look in her eye, brief as it was: she fell in love with Minato after all the time of being master and servant - and now comrades watching each other's backs."

 _Love at first sight - just like I feel for Sasuke._ "My _otou-san_ saved her, but...they never married?" Naru finally asked. "Yet I was still born."

As she expected, she received a shake of the head. The death of Hanzo the Salamander was Kushina Uzumaki's great accomplishment, but it didn't do much for her status in the eyes of Minato's parents despite their recognition of her. When their son returned, he was greeted with news that was "good" to his family and a neighboring feudal lord's: his daughter would be arranged with Minato as soon as the peace treaty was signed between the nations, although Ame was left on its own and closed off from the rest of them.

However, Minato refused the engagement agreement, and his parents threatened to exile him or disinherit him. However, what they did was worse: they released Kushina from their services and let her be on the streets, where she found work as a real, permanent geisha, unless she found another husband, but it wasn't like they cared. That made Naru's blood boil. "Did my father choose her or his place?" she demanded heatedly, and the smirk on her mother's face thrilled her.

"He chose your mother, of course. But it didn't happen right away. He spent months after her departure concocting what his life would be if he left the only comforts he knew, but his life was nothing without Kushina. Jiraiya and I were there for him, around the time Orochimaru left us, when he finally came to us and asked us to be there when he would ask her to marry him."

It was by this time Kushina was near the end of her pregnancy that it would finally happen. But when Minato would at last reunite with her - she had been away from public eye for the last four months, to be honest, and she'd lived with Tsunade in the village, who had also settled down from the frontlines - his lover finally told him she was carrying his child. The consequences of an unmarried mother were severe. Which was why Tsunade helped her the best she could, and for Minato to ask her to be taken someplace private rather than the village itself to give birth.

The emperor helped them, and his wife who was chief physician aided with the delivery in a secured cave outside the village perimeters. That night, in the middle of October, a strong and healthy child was born: _me._

"We just fell in love with you on sight," Tsunade said, reaching up to wipe a tear that was gathering in the corner of one eye. "Jiraiya was away, so he hadn't gotten to see you yet. Lady Biwaku and I cleaned you and your mother up, and we were going to take you back to the village to rest up. By morning, your parents would exchange their vows with the local priest, and afterwards, your birth would be announced and celebrated with the rest of the village."

It was then that her adoptive mother and caregiver's eyes glazed over again. "But it was then that something horrendous happened that took your parents' lives, which was the night you were born."

Naru closed her eyes, failing to hold back her own burning tears that slipped out the corners.

~o~

A couple days went by since she was first told of her parents' stories. She was bleeding to her heart, because it hurt so much to know that she was the daughter of two heroes. Her father was a daimyo and legendary warrior of the Second World War, her mother a deadly ninja in a geisha disguise, but she was low in his family's eyes while the people worshipped her as they did Minato Namikaze. Two people from different worlds, but they were denied the happy life they fought for, and yet they still gave their lives for the village - and for _her,_ their daughter.

If that was all true, why did Naru have to be left in the streets like that?!

"Unbelievable," she seethed to Iru when she took him down to the gated grounds. "My parents were both heroes, but they weren't allowed to be together. My mother was a very powerful woman; she contributed with Granny, Pervy Sage, and my father in the Second Great War - but what did she get in return?! Disgrace by simple-minded people like my _otou-san_ 's parents! Simply a geisha position in the village and being with child alone! Then my father leaves his home to be with her - and she tells him she's pregnant then and there. But I'm born before they get married and would have lived happily with people who watched their backs in return. Can you believe it, my friend?!" She shook uncontrollably as she opened up the gate and let him go inside first, keeping her hold on the reins. "But at least Granny told me that both _Okaa-san_ and _Otou-san_ loved me, and they were together when I was born..."

Tsunade's words continued to echo, along with what happened the night she'd been born: _"Your 'grandparents' dispatched a personal assassin to take care of you and your mother that night when you returned to the village. It seemed Minato's parents thought that their son and the alliance was too important, lest they be ruined. Your father was willing to end that for the ones he loved, but there was no telling if a civil war was going to erupt because of this petty disgrace. His family saw his abandonment of them as an act of conflict, for a 'low-life ninja of this village'. It was as if they forgot that woman helped their son and the rest of us obtain necessary peace that would last in years to come!"_

 _Yeah, my parents were worth more than some stupid political alliance within. And they had to die for me._

But that wasn't all. Tsunade added that Minato's parents were also very important in that they contributed to the imperial armies, beneath the shogun - who at the time wasn't Itachi Uchiha, who was a young boy then - and he'd been Danzo Shimura, a man who served with Hiruzen Sarutobi during the previous wars in younger years. Hence, the shogunate was established before the second war began because Sarutobi was a good man who struggled with making difficult, militaristic choices and so left it to someone he could trust...or so he thought. Naru learned that Danzo intended to use Minato Namikaze's rebellious freedom and love as an excuse to start a civil war in Konoha, which had come to be when her parents died. When the surrounding nations learned of the chaos, they would take advantage and start the Third Great War.

The commotion in the village - the fight between her father and the assassin - woke some people up. Biwaku-sama was killed, but Tsunade was forced to get away, because someone had to get to the scouts and alert the emperor. "That Danzo always hated me because I was Sarutobi's student," she'd spat. "Hence why he played a part in having me kept from the staff after the war, besides the view on us women. I couldn't let him learn about what was going on, but he did anyway. He was always a crafty fox."

In short: the "personal assassin" was one of Danzo's. He killed both her parents, but he failed to get her, the newborn, before the emperor's imperial guard came to the rescue.

"That Danzo bastard is to blame for all of this, besides my so-called grandparents. But, no sense throwing a tantrum now, Iru," she said with a sigh, getting on Iru's saddle and hitching him for the ride. She loved the adrenaline even if she wasn't in the battlefield lines at the present. "I just know my parents gave their lives for me and the village. Then the Third Great War came along; Danzo started it all and ruined _my_ life even, but at least he's dead now." _Because if he lived, I don't know how much my sanity could take._

Iru snorted and bobbed his head up and down, eagerly listening but wanting to get a move on. She flipped the reins and let him gallop, the energy bursting without warning like a volcano erupting after centuries' rest in all its fury...until some time passed when a voice called out to her, startling her out of her reverie. And it wasn't even Kakashi or Sasuke.

"You are the woman that I have heard about - Naru Uzumaki. You are precisely as I expected of you."

Naru hissed and brought her friend to a halt at the speaker. She turned him around to see the man standing there in the opened gateway, wearing a black kimono and big dark hat, but when he reached to take it off his head, she bit back a gasp of surprise. The face resembled that of Sasuke, but different. Two slanted lines rested beneath the onyx eyes, and the raven hair was long, tied beneath his neck. She should have gotten down right away, but she stayed frozen in place.

 _It's him...the imperial general. Itachi Uchiha._

 **Well, well, the elder Uchiha brother finally shows up, and then he sees Naru. What happens now?**


	8. The General's Attraction

**According to society law in feudal Japan, the woman can't marry of her own free will. Although I returned to the source material and discovered it wasn't always the case with women of the lower class, as they weren't forced into marriage. Rather, that was the case for those of the higher ranks in terms of alliances. However, low-ranked women were expected to serve their husbands and to take care of their families and household, serve the wealthy, look after the animals and crops.**

 **The major downside of married women is that they had no free will to marry once they are widowed (unlike men), as well as the fact they have no freedom to divorce. Suicide was often the only escape route whether or not they are abused by their husbands or simply unhappy. :(**

Chapter Eight

The General's Attraction

If the shogun general was here, he should have had his guards, but he chose to come out here alone, just to what? _To see ME?! He heard about me and thought to come on his own!_

The man before her was the most powerful, above the emperor himself, even though his rank was in the middle. It sounded very dangerous, and because she didn't know him as well as Sasuke and Sarutobi-sama, she had to keep her guard up - especially with the way he watched her so intently, eyes narrowing a little. He was a man revered highly because of his strength and accomplishments, which put him moreso than his younger brother. His aura was in place, commanding and demanding that she give him the respect he was entitled. It was no different from Sasuke, but that was why she wasn't going to take him lightly. If she so much as disrespected him or said the wrong thing, he would follow the book and administer punishment he deemed fit.

His character in appearance wasn't all that sent the bugs crawling up her spine as she looked down at him from Iru's saddle, the beast snorting as he rested his gaze on the powerful young man in black - it was his voice. It was low, deep and rich, like velvet. Specifically when he said she was exactly what he envisioned she was, but she had to ask him as she looked him down.

"What precisely were you expecting of me - my lord?" Naru asked.

His expression didn't change when he gazed back. "Quote my brother, a dirt rat -" _Oh, Sasuke, you're really a bastard._ However, it didn't seem like he meant it to offend, only as means of description. "- but a lovely and mighty one. I see he wasn't exaggerating." Then his lips downturned deeper.

"Please, remove yourself from that horse so I can have a better look at you."

So now he went from polite and cool to demanding in a heartbeat. Naru slung one leg over the side before jumping off the heel of the saddle, going over to the man and dropping on both knees. She hated this, looking up at him while he remained standing like a god. He was a human being, for gods' sake, just like she was. How could one person just think they consider those beneath them nothing more than dogs they could bark orders to? But when he looked down at her, his face softened. He then tilted his head to the right side as he took her in. His irises flickered a little to the north; he was examining her hair which was short to her skull and flaring about her ears.

He then knelt forward at the waist, his hand reaching out and grasping her chin. The sensation made her hitch her breath. His hand was large, but not bulky, although beneath the smooth surface was a calloused interior - just like beneath that handsome face framed with long bangs, the rest of his hair tied back, there was a core of rock like the surrounding mountains that never fell. He was so frightening, more filled with the unknown than Sasuke, and had done so much more. She didn't even know what to do or say, and yet she wanted to continue doing what she did best. It wasn't her nature to let a man - let alone an important man - trample over her.

If Sasuke said that much about her, Itachi Uchiha must have known she had a core of steel.

Naru was tired of him not saying anything, just gazing over her like she was a fine trophy he wanted to win. "My lord," she said through her teeth, "is there anything you like in particular?"

She finally got a slight hint of amusement twinkling in those eyes. He chuckled deep in his throat. "Oh, I see enough." He released her then. "I don't express myself in terms of a woman's features, but I have to say I admire your...spirit. But if you wish to hear more, _otome,_ then perhaps we can continue this over a ride?" _He just asked me to ride with him on a horse, and he wants to continue talking to me?!_ Naru, for the life of her, couldn't think of anything to say. But she really wanted to get back on Iru; if only things were going differently, and she would ride as far away from this man as possible, general or not.

No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't say no to Sasuke's older brother, the real ruler of Konoha.

His horse was rich brown with a black mane, but as far as she was concerned, Iru was the real noble steed. She had to do the honors of retrieving the general's beast, after standing up and getting the reins of her own, leading him out and escorted on the other side by the man who was the master of _both_ of them. _No - no one is my master. I'll accept someone to work with, but to be treated as inferior? Not on my friend here._

As she opened the door to the stable which had the man's prized ride, she watched from the corner of her eye as Uchiha-sama rested his strong, smooth hand over Iru's snout, having great skill with taming a horse before acting. "He's magnificent," he noted. "Seldom does a peasant have such a fine horse; it is usually within the nobility or royalty."

"I wonder why," Naru said with a snort, leading out his horse after securing the reins. "He was a gift when I was younger. I named him after a dear friend."

He chuckled. "I see. I admit, I never would have considered such a thing. My noble friend in your hands is called Jiai," he said with a slight upturn of the lips.

 _Named with one of the many words for "love". And it's a FEMALE?!_ "I'm surprised that this steed of yours is a girl," she said, handing the reins to him. When he took them from her, his fingers brushed against her skin, and the jolt sent her skin on fire. But she ignored it. "Did you care that you had a strong female to ride rather than a male?" Too late, she realized what _that_ sounded like. It brought all the blood rushing to her cheeks.

To her surprise, it made him laugh, this time a little louder than before, but it wasn't the same as Pervy Sage, Tetsuo or any of her friends in the village. "Naru-chan, I never thought that you would be so implying with your tongue in that manner." She huffed and straightened before him.

"My lord, forgive me, but that subject isn't my forte. Sakura, my friend, is better than me."

"Well, then accept my apologies for implying in return that you were capable, but there is always a first time whether by accident or on purpose," Uchiha-sama answered, then stood beside Iru. "Will the lady need my assistance?" He thought he would help her get on the horse when she could get on by herself!

Naru lifted her chin at him before gathering the front of her red trousers and lifted them to assist in speed walking. "No, thank you. I have taken quite good care of myself without the help of a man since I was tenderly thirteen," she declared, brushing past him and enjoying it so much. She was so happy they were alone to do this, although if his loyal dogs were watching, he'd have to punish her for the sake of his masculinity and tradition. If there was whipping on her backside involved, she wasn't going to endure that again like she did as a child. Once or twice was good enough.

"If any of my subordinates wonder where you were, don't fear of punishment," he told her when they were riding away, after she closed and locked all the gates. "It will be my responsibility, and no one ever crosses me." _Of course they wouldn't._

Somehow, she wasn't sure this was a good idea, after all. Sure, they enjoyed riding horses, he was Sasuke's brother, but he was the most intimidating and influential man, which meant she had to be more wary around him than she should have been with Tetsuo. But this time, she couldn't ask Sakura for advice; if she learned from her mistakes, she would accept what would follow.

"Uzumaki...I suppose you are the daughter of Kushina," he stated, making her resist rolling her eyes. She was honored to know her parents were real heroes in spite of what her grandparents had thought, but her name was not important as her deeds. "I knew her a long time ago, when I was still a lad, and Sasuke was only an infant at the time you were born. She and our mother were good friends. Although, you vanished the night she and your father perished, but then I learn of your actions. I never thought I'd hear of another woman who proves herself more than equal despite the values society placed on her."

This was surprising that he had to bring up their positions so loosely. Maybe he was what Sasuke said he was, after all: a good man despite firm rule. "I'm stunned you would say such a thing. I'd have expected that you would tell me I'm fit for the house. But since it's you and me," Naru said hotly, controlled as well, "I'll tell you that I'd rather cut off the man's business than to let him touch me. I prefer spending my life protecting my family and the village I love so much as well as to keep myself in check than to let some man rule my life. This world should start changing, and if I were a goddess, that's what I'd do myself." Those words were bolder than she'd intended, but they couldn't be taken back.

By this time, they were making way for the forest, which took her back to a certain unpleasant day that she would rather go the rest of her life without being reminded. Uchiha-sama regarded her stonily at her declaration which was very similar to what she told Tsunade-baa long ago. _Oh, Kami, I should have kept my mouth shut. I'm in for it now._

"In that case, Naru-chan, I should inform you that your independence wouldn't last much longer as you are of age and should consider settling down," he told her, his face devoid of emotion. He stopped his horse then, pulling the reins back, and Jiai halted, snorted and nodding in acknowledgment. He then turned his body halfway to continue watching Naru as she remained a safe distance while still on Iru. "True, you have lived amongst the peasants all your life, but your father was also nobility. He and your mother contributed to the victory of the Second Great War as did Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama, and the rogue who is dead by my brother's hands. Surely you don't want to spend the _rest_ of your days free and spirited. One day, you'll wake up and realize you have another duty -"

Naru snapped then and there. "Duty! The only _duty_ I have is to protect those I love," she said harshly. "The only orders I would prefer to follow are to kill someone who dares threaten them. I refuse to have orders taken from one man I'm forced to share a bed with." _Even if he finds I'm not a virgin, and that means a greater shame, a fate worse than death._

What she did next was far more risky, and that was turning her back on him when he didn't give her permission to leave. The cold ran up her spine when she feared he would call his guard on her for disrespecting him, and who knew what punishment he would inflict on her family as well. The emperor wouldn't mistreat them, but Itachi Uchiha surely would.

He called out to her, his deep voice adding to the cold fire coursing through her body - and ignited the most sensitive parts that Sasuke only did so much to.

"I'll let you walk away for now, but this will be the first and only time. We are not yet finished."

~o~

He said this would be the first and only time he would let her get away from him like this. No doubt he would hold her to it. It was that moment she decided that he wasn't what she thought he would be, either. If she hated his brother before, then she decided she couldn't trust him. He brought up a woman's role in the subtlest ways possible. He thought he could try to manipulate her about her life, did he?!

It was then that she decided she wanted to see Sakura when the evening fell, after all, after the evening meal.

"The - the general came to see you himself?!" her pink-haired friend exclaimed with bulging eyes as she turned down the bed on the floor, in the room which they shared together. Naru did the same with herself. "The man who defeated the Kumo Emperor in the last war at eighteen years old hears about you as soon as he returns from Mist territory. Naru, you really have a way with getting the attention of the Uchiha men."

Naru glowered at her from beneath her lashes. "Sakura, what is giving you that idea?"

"You know me. I saw the way you looked at Sasuke-kun -" Now she heard the tone of endearment in her friend's voice, confirming that she harbored similar feelings. Something dark akin to embarrassment and a little jealousy started to rise. "- and I wondered if he would look at you the same way. He did smile at you, praised you and acknowledged you, but I wonder if he will see it as love, or just as a friend," Sakura stated, laying down on her back. Naru could only stare down at her for the moment, holding the lantern stick in hand, before setting it down and blowing it out before getting into her bed.

The girls continued their conversation in the dark, and what Sakura said next took her by surprise. "I was giving a patient - one of the servants - her remedy to boost her fertility when she told me something very fascinating. Did you know the general was widowed a year ago?"

"...no."

"Not many know a lot about her, because he doesn't like discussing his personal life, but she was a distant cousin within his clan. She died in childbirth, and the baby - a girl - died with her. It affected him so much that he was reluctant for the longest time, although there's talk he'll find another bride in the near future, but no prospects that didn't bore him to tears." Sakura giggled a little. "But I also heard that if he ever wanted to remarry, she had to show that she could not only run the household, but to look out for _herself._ He hates women who expect a man to depend on."

Naru said nothing to all of this, but with this newfound intel on General Itachi Uchiha, she had a cold feeling as to why he found himself deeply interested in her besides the story his ears met upon his return from Kiri.

 _He sees me as a potential new bride._

For her part, this was a disaster. It was worse than she had been imagining. Their ride out that day - it was his excuse to check out the woman the village, the emperor and the palace staff were talking about.

But the freezing tremors in her body were not the only thing that prevented her from sleeping that night; it was the myriad of thoughts regarding the Uchiha's late wife, who was unknown at the time. But Sakura said that few knew about her. "What was her name?" she asked as the pinkette was dozing off before her.

"- I...zumi," was the answer before her friend passed out just like that.

 _Izumi - her name was Izumi Uchiha._

Even when morning broke, she thought about how the general had been affected by her loss and that of their unborn child in not so many words. She never knew what it was like to have a kid, but it sounded like he must have loved them both. _And doesn't show his emotions much. But is it like any man to wear his heart on his sleeve?_

When she did fall asleep, it wasn't Sasuke who appeared in her dreams, but his elder brother - the most powerful man who ruffled her feathers in a worse way than his younger sibling.

 **No words describe the delay, but it was mostly my computer being slow the last few days, and taking great care to not jump into the marriage situation. But rest assured, it's getting close. That's when the real drama begins for Naru.**


	9. Finding Love Too Close

**I want to say thank you for the support this is getting with reviews, but for those who expected SasuNaru, I did not put pairings in here because this story is NOT based on pairs. It's far more deeper and mature than that. A good story must NOT be based on pairings. In the future, I suggest expecting less and the unknown so that way you will be less disappointed.**

Chapter Nine

Finding Love Too Close

It had been two months since she encountered the shogun general. Several times after that, he made no more calls to her except when it came to the care of Jiai, and that was also when she noticed he would continue to look at her the way he did. It didn't take long for Kakashi to notice, and one day confront her about it.

"It looks like you've made quite the impression on him, Naru. General Uchiha-sama sees something he wants and will do anything to get it. Trust me, I know."

Just like that, the man of the stables admitted it! "For your information, I did nothing to obtain his interest," she spat, setting down the cream-colored, brown-spotted beauty's bucket of water, taking care not to spill anything out. "He asked for a ride, and who was I to refuse? He's just like any other man who clings to tradition and sees women as low no matter what she does! He's nothing but a brute with brawn and no real brain!" Her fury earned a chuckle from the silver-haired man.

Kakashi clicked his tongue and leaned onto the wooden railing of the breed she was feeding. "Brawn and no brain, eh? You might want to rethink that since we both know better, Naru. A man like that wouldn't be general and commander otherwise. You remember what he did in Kumo years ago? And the fact he went into Kiri to aid with the cleaning up of the Bloody Mist carnage with as few escorts as possible?"

 _Good deeds don't erase the kind of man he is!_ "I don't care if he slayed a hundred men or worked for a hundred men! Itachi Uchiha is a burden on us all. And to think that people admire him simply because of his family and military record," Naru spat in disgust, closing the gate when the horse had everything she needed. "And that's what he sees in me, similarly." Her superior sighed and shook his head. He was one of the few to tolerate her foul language and tongue when the majority would whip her into obedience.

Then another voice entered the air. "Not to butt in, but I heard some news regarding his brother. Sasuke Uchiha is betrothed."

It was as if the air had transformed from cool and calming to frigid and murderous with a blizzard in seconds. _Betrothed...Sasuke...MY Sasuke...oh, gods, it can't be true!_ "Kiba," Kakashi said sternly, "where have you heard this?"

The Inuzuka stood with his white wolf Akamaru, who was to him what Iru was to Naru. In fact, it was hard to believe that the little white pup who used to be atop his master's head had now grown to great white size. But that also meant that his owner's bark was worse than his bite, like many in his clan. "I overheard it," he answered with his canine grin, enhanced by the red paint over his face which was signature to his family. "Shikamaru got it from his father who also got it from one of the shogun's men, and this information is never to be mistrusted. You know that, Kakashi." He shrugged nonchalantly.

But Kakashi wasn't convinced. "You could be wrong. The only sure fact would be if it were announced by Uchiha-sama, with his brother and the bride chosen at his side. And we would have been notified ahead of time before that day, so as of now, I suggest you get back to work and keep quiet...or do you want the belt?"

The warning got through to poor Kiba, who bolted away with Akamaru whimpering. Amusing as it was, the only one who wasn't in on the joke was Naru herself.

 _Sasuke is engaged._

The hideous thought haunted her even when she and Kakashi were in the armory, caring for the weaponry of the general and his men - the one standing out among the rest was the Uchiha's - and she thought she was going to go mad the longer she put up with this insanity. But at least, when the afternoon grew late, the man in her thoughts found her when she was finished shoveling all the animal waste away into its rightful place.

"Oh, I know how this looks," she said, embarrassed when she looked at him but avoided direct eye contact. He snorted.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before. But are you ready for our regular session?"

Their regular session was always one of the best parts of the week or days - or months if he was away - but this was the perfect opportunity for her to take her anger out on him using the blade. This time, he brought a _wakizashi_ as she did, instead of his prized Kusanagi. Although, the more strain she felt, the more pressure she put in, the angrier she got to the point where she nearly grazed his shoulder with her short sword.

"Damn it all, Naru, what is the matter with you today?" Sasuke asked angrily when he called it to a draw. "I haven't seen you this angry since the first time."

She looked at him, taking in his disheveled appearance: his angular face framed by his flattened dark hair, pale skin shining with perspiration - she could feel her skin drying with her own - and his hard onyx eyes. He was so handsome, and to think she loathed his attitude. "Is it true, what I have been hearing from the servants?" she rasped, tired to her bones, leaning forward at the waist, resting her hands on her knees, dropping her sword to the ground.

He looked at her without a twitch in expression. "Is what true?"

"That you're going to marry someone." _And it's obviously someone your brother chose for you._ Naru looked up at him, waiting. For a moment, it didn't seem like he would tell her, but then she got the horrid response that was her worst fear come alive.

"Yes, it's true. I'm engaged." The way he said it was flat and devoid of emotion. Disinterested, telling her that he didn't want this in the slightest but had no choice. "But I don't know the date yet. Itachi is going to announce it tomorrow for the whole village, make a big deal out of it when it's far from it, as far as I'm concerned." He scoffed and put his blade back into its hilt.

"Who is it?" She didn't care if it was going to be a secret until the day of the announcement; she deserved to know, and he clearly saw that himself. She stood up then, after picking up her _wakizashi_ and placing it where it belonged.

Her world collapsed when he told her the name of his bride-to-be.

~o~

The color green was reminiscent of the landscapes and many forms of joy, the circle of life as it was, and provided the kind of comfort that not many colors besides yellow would in existence. It was also said to represent fertility and harmony. That was the form that this ring came in: a fresh, pale green gem centered on a simple band of pale gold.

It was a piece of magic on a slender finger of cream - and its owner was none other than _Sakura Haruno,_ her own best friend and sister. Apprentice of their adoptive _baa-chan_ , one of the greatest women in history and their entire lives.

The one who gave it to her was Sasuke Uchiha, the man Naru loved very much as an equally dear friend but also wanted so much more had it not been obvious of her failure to tell him her feelings out of fear, because the way she was imagining it - _or is it just my paranoia because of this morbid reality?_ \- if she told him, it would make things worse on them both because of the knowledge he would lose her forever and she him. But it was also common for a man to have a mistress, except that was the LAST thing she wanted to be.

Especially when his wife would be _her own sister._

"I can't believe it!" the pinkette exclaimed, eyes bright and green, though darker than the stone that now adorned her finger. "I mean, we saw each other sometimes, but he barely said any words to me when I tried being kind to him, even offered him sweets I made, except he doesn't like them. Then I learn he loves tomatoes, so I concoct his favorite cuisines with them. That was when he started thanking me, but that was it. He never gave me anything back. And then one day - earlier this morning, in fact - he gets down on his knee here in these walls -" She nodded to the walls of the garden around them. "- and asks me to marry him. I couldn't even say no."

Naru scoffed. "I can take a guess. His brother arranged it without even telling you himself, and you know as much as I do," she stated, clenching at her favored dark blue _yukata_ with the need to tear the fabric as a release of tension.

Sakura scowled at her lack of excitement. "You think I don't know that? But that doesn't mean I should mourn over my loss of freedom. I see everything is going to be fine," she said, face changing to bright joy. "Sasuke even told me that I would be allowed to still heal people."

"Heal and produce sons," Naru said disgustedly. "As we're all required to do. Which is why I'd rather risk death or public humiliation rather than letting some brute take me to his bed." She lifted her chin as the final declaration. Her rose-haired friend looked at her worriedly. Sakura put up with this all their lives, but now things would change.

"But the general might not select a husband for you anytime soon - or rather, he might not pick you for himself yet." Then her eyes bulged when she realized her mistake. "Oh, I'm sorry. I never should have said that."

The blonde knew she meant well, but the words couldn't be taken back. Soon would it be her turn, but if he was planning all this in secrecy for his pleasure, then she would not give him satisfaction in the end if he had her like a trapped animal.

~o~

The engagement of Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno was announced the very next day.

The night before, Naru spent it in the stables, slipping out when Sakura was asleep, because the last thing she wanted was to spend it asleep next to her own friend who was officially going to be tied to the man she loved. Being inside Iru's cleaned stall was more than comforting for her. She wrapped herself up in the warmth of her blanket and nestled beside her friend, his lower joints curling inward as he laid himself down. He turned his snout downwards and nuzzled against her. His sleek warmth and company helped her fall asleep.

If Sakura or Tsunade asked, she would say she had a nightmare but didn't want to wake either of them up.

However, when the sun hit her face, she also heard the stable doors opening, and it was none other than - "Naru, what are you doing sleeping out here?" Kakashi asked incredulously as he watched her open Iru's door from inside, stepping out and stretching her bones. She'd slept in her working garments the entire night after coming in when no one was looking. Shrugging, Naru picked up her blanket and slung it over her shoulder.

"I felt like it, Kakashi. Sasuke is getting married, and he even told me himself."

"Oh...I see." That single dark eye twinkled knowingly. "Did he say who?"

"My sister, Sakura."

His expression fell, present only in his eye. "I'm sorry to hear that. But something tells me this is more than just friendship between you and he...and you were too fearful to tell him," he stated. Naru bitterly nodded without a word, hanging her coverlet over the rack until the day was over. "Then maybe it's for the best."

Naru sputtered, glaring daggers at him. Iru whinnied as if equally enraged. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I mean that perhaps it's best you not destroy your friendship by telling him your feelings. There could be a chance he wouldn't see you in that light; is it a risk you're willing to take, Naru?" he asked.

Her shoulders slumped as she forced herself to admit that he had a point. But that wasn't going to stop her from asking Sasuke anyway, if she got the chance. Today was the day that the announcement would be made; that meant having the horses ready for the general's messengers to shout out the word and send the scrolls. She could take a guess as to what they would all say: _Sasuke Uchiha to wed Sakura Haruno, apprentice of renowned war hero and medic Tsunade Senju - granddaughter of the first emperor - and a gifted healer herself, whom he rescued along with her adoptive mother from Orochimaru, with the help of Naru Uzumaki._

 _Oh, yes, but the reality is because so he can keep his brother from taking the prize he has his eyes on: me. Never mind_ I _saved my mother and sister while he killed the snake man._

But there was little she could do, and she knew it. Itachi Uchiha's threats still lingered in her psyche.

As the day went, people in the streets were shouting with excitement, but there were also those who weren't interested in the slightest and felt compelled to show. To the nobility, they saw it as a political necessity, and a befitting match if it wouldn't have been. And in the late afternoon was the tea ceremony, with her and Tsunade present as family. She found herself forced to watch her beloved Sasuke looking across her sister who still smiled at him - and the one he returned was forced; she could see it all.

Naru discovered the various delicious _wagashi_ sweets left a bitter aftertaste, and drinking the powdered green _matcha_ tea with didn't help wonders. Tsunade didn't appear happy nor crossed, but she was able to detect her other daughter in a foul mood beneath the composed mask. And later, she did confront her about it.

"For goodness' sake, Naru, what on earth is with you?"

She rounded on her mother in an instant. At least Sakura was away, mooning over her newfound happiness, arranged as it was, while Sasuke was off sulking somewhere. "I love Sasuke, that's what!" she said angrily, the corners of her eyes burning with tears. "And what's worse: I can't do anything about it because of this damned world we live in. His brother arranged all of this based on technicality. Both heroes could not be with each other, because he saw fit." _And he has his eyes on me._ But she could not bring herself to say it aloud, instead settling on throwing herself into her mother's arms. The older woman wrapped them around her and gently rubbed her back, but her tone was sharp.

"Now, now, you haven't cried since you were ten years old. Neither have I since I lost Dan." Tsunade sighed sharply.

"But you are right; there is nothing you can do. Perhaps it's for the best, in the sense that your friendship you cherish so much with Sasuke can be preserved like this. Maybe you should think of this not by Lord Itachi's doing, but as a sign from the gods that you are expected of something better than love. Remember what I said a long time ago?"

Yes, she remembered: _Marriage existed since humankind began. But how better can it get when it is with someone you know rather than someone you never met?_ But instead of enlightened, she felt entrapped because the one she so-called "knew" was a man who tried manipulating her and testing her to fall into his trap, and he'd done that by a step with arranging her cherished friend with her best friend she'd known as a child. She could say nothing but silently shed more tears into Tsunade's tunic.

Three days later, there was a tournament in the royal palace to celebrate - and Naru was asked to participate.

~o~

The skies were clear when she found herself surrounded by her family and friends within the palace, as well as nobility in lush and lavish kimonos that she didn't recognize. To think that her best friend and beloved would be witnessed by them in a matter of months! _And worse, me._

Sasuke and Sakura were seated on the west end whereas she was east, both of them also in kimonos. His was black with a dark blue temple and bamboo scenery; hers was maroon with cherry blossoms matching her hair. Their wedding date still wasn't set, which bothered her and made her feel sicker. Why did the general have to do this to her? He had to be enjoying seeing her squirm internally if he didn't announce the date, and he must have made damned sure that these two wouldn't know, either.

Naru had to push aside her thoughts and focus on the task at hand, when she found herself checking out the shogun's men in the fields honing themselves against each other with every weapon in _ninjutsu_ and hand-to-hand that lived in the world. Some were in their armor, others not. And not all of them were slashing swords at each other; there were also the targets to shoot. Which she was asked to do - and against the general himself at his request.

Three rounds against him, first being the arrows to strike down the wooden platforms assembled.

She noticed how he sometimes stole a glance at her, his face unreadable, eyes calculating her every move. But they also seemed to wander over her body, taking in the white tunic and red trousers. She only lifted her chin at him, not giving him the satisfaction. There were ten targets altogether, and he'd knocked down every single one of them. This she'd done before, but it had been years. It fueled her determination to prove she wasn't so rusted. She was going to blow them all away if that was the last thing she would do. She would let the other men who must be leering at her see that she was the strongest they'd witnessed - as strong as her mother had been, as Tsunade, and any other woman she had yet to learn.

And that was just what she did.

All ten targets shot down tied with Itachi Uchiha. At this, the crowd was stunned into silence before erupting with cheers and applause. Sakura was clapping for her, and Sasuke smirked to one corner of his mouth as if he enjoyed the sight of his all-powerful _aniki_ flat on his backside for once. She could use a good laugh herself, and at the surprise on his face.

This much he got from her: she was a skilled archer and horse rider, but now he wanted to see her use the sword against him as well as her fists.

He himself was a mighty swordsman, so for him to draw that katana whilst wearing his battle armor while she was without that protective privilege made her consider backing out, but she cursed herself. Naru never ran away from a fight, and she didn't cry over a little issue like no armor. Although, she was grazed on the lower arm by the tip of his blade when he came down to her. He could read her every move very well, but she had yet to discover his weak spot.

And then she saw it: his vulnerability lay in sliding beneath his body like a phantom, before standing and striking out at him with her foot, to his backside without the armor. Now that was something everyone could laugh about. He lay on his stomach for a few moments, his helmet knocked off his head, so his long dark hair was a mess around his skull. Naru pointed her sword down at him, keeping it on him even as he rolled over onto his back. His own was next to him, but she quickly picked it up and crossed it over with hers, keeping them trained as he turned to look up at her, stricken in body but amazed at her speed, her strength despite her smaller form, and a tight-lipped smile formed on his face.

"Surrender, your lordship," Naru sneered. His acknowledgement was a single grunt and a single nod. Smirking back, she threw down the blades and offered her hand to help him stand up. His larger, gloved one tightened around hers in a welcoming gesture rather than a painful grip.

"Your grip is just as strong as mine. No more, no less," he commented.

They tied with the shooting of targets. She bested him with swordplay. Now onward to the final round, using their fists, feet and brains.

No bruises or broken bones in the previous, except the mild wound on her arm which was cleansed and bandaged, no stitches needed as it was nothing severe to reach the bone. Although, the markings were sported on each other when she growled at him to not go soft on her because she was a woman, and he stated he was happy to oblige. He struck her most times in the abdomen, knocking the air out of her body, and she did the same to him, but his pain tolerance was so high that he was used to such things by now. _Well, duh. He's been on the battlefield more times than you can count, and I've been stuck at home, protecting everything and everyone._

She finally got him in the same place it hurt most, unprotected by a codpiece this time.

The crowd roared as she exploded internally with pride and joy at getting the mightiest man in the nation on the ground once again, but this time, he was on his knees, trying to catch his breath, and his long raven hair came out of its tie, spilling over one shoulder - while nursing his injured pride. _Serves you right; how does it feel to experience the pain of injury in front of your brother and subordinates?_ His skin glistened with sweat while hers was sticky and irritating. Unlike him, she was standing up, bent over at the waist and hands on knees, her short golden hair sticking to the sides of her face.

"I lose, _otome_ ," Itachi rasped, looking up at her through his long bangs.

She hadn't heard him call her that since day one, and it annoyed her because Sasuke was the only one to call her that so endearingly. The way Itachi spoke it was means to demean her due to her status. She gritted her teeth behind her smile. Their eyes remained locked - crystalline blue against smooth black - for a few more seconds before he stood up, wincing at the ache in his bones, and she felt the same effects, but the joy of being recognized in the audience's eyes was worth all the pain.

The Uchiha general stood in front of her, his height towering by a few inches, as he inclined his head once. "I accept defeat in place of setting you on a pedestal much higher than mine, Naru-chan," he said softly, for her to hear only. His face inched closer to hers, and her skin heated up. He was too close; too close that it was so smothering. For a moment, she couldn't even breathe, and her mind stopped altogether.

He then reared his head back, taking her hand into his and then raising the other for the applause to silence down for his announcement. "Naru Uzumaki is the champion in my eyes as she is to you, as the sister of the one my brother rescued as he slayed Orochimaru the Snake, and Naru the savior beside Sasuke..." There was a pause for a split second as he looked her way, his smile still in place, but now she heard the smug glee present behind that calm, pleasant exterior he reserved for the public eye.

Her heart fell to her stomach before bursting with bubbling acids when he made the next announcement that made her world explode after it descended into chaotic spins.

"...and the one who will be my wife, and the day shall be when my dearest brother and his bride become one."


	10. Two Brothers Marry Two Sisters

**Nobody has said anything to complain in regards of Itachi, but I should let you know that you won't have to hate him, for he is not villainous like Orochimaru, Tetsuo or the real threat coming later in this story. Keep in mind that Tsunade said everything happens for a reason, and it's also a life lesson we've all been told.**

Chapter Ten

Two Brothers Marry Two Sisters

 _"General Uchiha-sama sees something he wants and will do anything to get it."_

 _Oh, Kakashi, you were so right. I underestimated him. I should have known this had been part of his plan all along! DAMN IT, THAT BASTARD!_

The victory she relished was gone as quickly as it came. She wanted to throw a tantrum just to get her rage out in the open, but her bones would break if she got too reckless. Tsunade wouldn't be happy since she was going to spend it healing the men who got entangled in the mania on the festive day. "Festive meant to break blood, sweat and bones," she said with a shake of the head. Then she looked up at Sakura who was by Sasuke's side as all were leaving, but not before congratulating their army general and ruler, bowing with respect. Naru gladly stayed the hell away from him.

Only the good luck didn't last long as the attention soon turned on her, including both important people in her life - along with the only unwanted himself - and she received the bows. She winced, not happy with this kind of attention like the day she and Sasuke rode through the village for the story of their victory against the snake Orochimaru. She looked into some of their eyes, suppressing the flinch at the dislike which silently spoke of the message.

 _Gold-digger. Whore. You don't deserve to be the wife of our leader._ No words could describe the hurt inside, but she shoved it aside, knowing she would prove them wrong once and for all.

But the ones who smiled most warmly at her were the ones she accepted: _You will make an excellent wife and equal._

"Naru, you were wonderful!" Sakura told her, taking her hand into hers, but the warmth that washed over which she'd known since they were young girls felt uncomfortable. "And we'll get married on the same day; I'm so happy for you!"

She knew better than that; beneath was the guilt regarding her words the night she told Naru of her engagement.

Sasuke took her hand, as well - the other one - but he failed to smile. It was then she saw the quiet dismay in his eyes. He didn't like this one bit; he knew what would happen to her now that she was going to be bound to his brother and he to her sister. He then leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Be strong." That was all, but she didn't expect anything more. She knew what he was implying: _Don't let him, the ones beneath, or the ones in the middle walk over you._

Naru could only nod, then looked over his shoulder to see the elder brother himself with his eyes narrowed by a fraction. It seemed like she was right, in that he knew all along about her feelings for Sasuke without her even telling him. All the more reason to hate him, despite being taught that you could never hate someone you didn't know that well. But she had every reason to; this Uchiha _teme_ had used this tournament to show she was equal spouse material, showing her skills in combat against him - and with Sasuke and Sakura watching!

She was sure her anger was schooled from sight, for the regular people around her as well as fellow noble folk were still greeting and congratulating her, but she could feel Tsunade's eyes burning holes into her shoulders just as much as Itachi Uchiha's piercing gaze of black fire.

 _Just you wait, Itachi-teme. I'll make your life hell behind closed doors if I'm to please you in these people's eyes._

~o~

Over two months, not even three passed, when the day finally arrived for her, her unwitting bridegroom as well as their brother and sister, soon to be in-laws on both sides. In between this day and the day of the tournament which was the announcement of the wedding, the kimonos had to be prepared along with everything else, and all scheduled even before both proposals.

When everything calmed down, Tsunade was in tears, which was seldom for her guardian to be seen like this, because both her girls were marrying well despite not choosing on their own. Although, in Naru's case, it was far from happy, and that earned another repeated lecture and smack to the back of the head from Tsunade to stop acting like a child, which she wasn't anymore. "What you said to me was when you were thirteen years old," the older blonde said, "and while I am sorry for you, you need to grow up and start making the best of it like your sister intends to. At least you will still see Sasuke, and you should be pleased your groom won't prevent you from seeing each other."

Her words stung her to the core, to a point which Naru had to cry herself to sleep that same night. She felt like she had been betrayed to the highest degree, after all these years of having love and familial support. It was such a distant memory that brutal reality kicked in.

Whereas she snuck off from Sakura that one night, she let her best friend and future sister-in-law rock her to sleep, which made her grateful that they weren't pushing each other away - or rather, Naru was relieved she wasn't pushing the pinkette away.

The next day, she received a ring of her own, when Itachi summoned her to his chambers for the afternoon meal. It had just been the two of them, and he promised on his honor that he wouldn't try anything she didn't want. To even be in his presence was like sitting before the most powerful god. Now that she thought of it as she looked upon him, he was quite...good-looking. More than Sasuke, if she said so. So different but the same. Differences were the hair length, the lines beneath his eyes which spoke of hardship and experience, drained with tired sadness. His eyes had the same dark fire as his brother, but slowly diminishing because of his seat of power.

It made her now wonder if he even _wanted_ to be in the position of ruler over the lands. _Why did I not think of this before?_

This was the first time they were alone together since the ride to the woods, and it ended on unpleasant terms. But somehow, it didn't seem so unsettling, because as soon as she entered his chambers, the feast was laid out between them. And when he smiled at her, she saw no trace of glee, satisfaction or anything snide. It seemed almost...genuine.

Naru couldn't lower her guard and trust him because of his actions, but seeing him like that made her remember he lost his wife and unborn child. He wasn't a monster, but a human being. She wanted to ask him, if they were going to be wed. She had a plan to get him to trust her, and if that worked, then this marriage might be better and more successful than she thought. It meant equal terms instead of him seeing her do what he told her to do. _Wives expected to serve their husbands might change if I make this impression. If I get him to see that, then we both can make the difference._

But that was still ways off. If only it could happen overnight!

She didn't know how to think about asking him regarding his personal life other than this: "Were you married before?"

His posture stiffened. "You have heard," he said simply. Naru nodded. He sighed. "It's wise to not discuss this subject when it will be you and I. But yes, I had a wife before you. She died in childbirth, ages ago it would seem."

"But it's been a year, hasn't it? I'm sorry for what happened to her -"

"Enough." He interrupted her firmly but quietly, eyes hard. He said no more, but the hint was there in that she better drop the subject or else. She was putting herself in mild jeopardy, and she didn't know if she wanted to know what those consequences would be.

 _Fine, if he doesn't want to talk, then maybe I'll ask after we're married. Maybe then he'll open up._

For the life of her, she couldn't understand why she cared this much, angry and frustrated beyond belief with him. It was her heart, that was it. And Sakura saying that the death of Itachi's wife affected him more than anyone thought, which explained mostly why he refused to let the public know. Men and pride, but Tsunade also said that men were taught to be emotionally strong as well as physically, but on the inside, they were just as soft as women.

In other words, Naru had her work cut out for her to worm her way into him in return. She did as he asked and dropped the topic that day, but he was underestimating her this way. He ought to have known better than that.

Just as she was leaving, the food sumptuous as always and done with better skill than she could have managed - and ramen heaven! - now the ring was around her finger: a magnificent iridescent gem of rainbow hues was ringed with a river of crystalline blue stones, set on moonlit metal. It snugged her finger and made something in the digit throb; she wasn't sure if it was good or bad, but it never left her be.

All of which brought them to the present, on this day which was the day that sealed her and Sakura's fates. It was in time for the harvest to begin, the weather cool, winds mild, and the colors of autumn warm. Naru looked out the window, the _shoji_ screen pushed aside, before being scolded by the head dressmaker herself and being pulled away so her hair wouldn't be ruined. She scowled and glared at the woman who returned it icily, warning her that she would not be tolerated today if she displayed such arrogance. Already, she wanted to show who was superior.

Sakura was happy and blushing as the kimono she was in, which was soft and vibrant pink, splashed with red cherry blossoms, tied with an _obi_ sash to match her eyes. Sprigs of dainty white flowers were expertly put in two places within her twisted pastel locks. _Every inch the blushing maiden - unlike me._

Naru looked down at herself in lush sapphire blue with camellias of white and orange, the sash vibrant as a burning orange sunset, and then at the whole view in the tall wall mirror. She winced at the thing on her head. This white hat topped with chopsticks and orange orchids made her look and feel ridiculous. Her sister smiled over at her; she forced the return.

"Come on, Naru, try to be happy. It's been two months," the pinkette said, some sadness in her eyes that didn't reach her smile. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Naru resisted clenching her fists at her sides.

"I am." _Liar_.

The door was knocked on then and there, and in came Tsunade-baa herself, in a dark green kimono patterned with gold-and-white koi fish tied with a golden _obi_. Her eyes lit up at the sight of her girls now brides, and had come to escort them for the procession to the palace hall, attended by many - and a handful being her and Sakura's friends from the village along with their families.

There were no flowers arranged, but some people carried bouquets in the seasonal colors, others grains of wheat. Naru thought her face was going to freeze with the fake smile she was forced to put on for them, though she briefly made eye contact with Tenten whom she saw among; the brunette seemed to guess otherwise. It had been months since she'd seen her friend, so that brief moment far away wasn't enough.

The procession - both brides carrying painted umbrellas over their heads, their mother behind them as well as the handmaidens assigned to them in the rear - crossed the threshold and into the hall where both grooms waited. The brothers were in black _haori_. Both were very handsome. Now she felt a tear slip down her cheek; she was happy she and Sakura wore no makeup like those geisha.

If anyone saw the shine on her cheek, they would say nothing to her face. They might murmur amongst themselves, assuming it was a tear of joy - when it was far from the truth.

Emperor Sarutobi was there, and to see him made her melt inside as she continued to cry. He noticed her pain and offered a quiet glance of sympathy, before she and Sakura stood before their grooms, and the ceremony could begin. The umbrellas were closed and handed to Tsunade.

Everything felt like a blur to her, though what happened was kneeling to receive the blessing of the gods, followed by the _san-san-kudo_ ritual in which three sips from the bride, three from the groom, and three from the family - in this case, Tsunade got a total of six - solidified the union of both sides. Naru thought she would vomit after the little amount of sake, and who knew if she would be able to take the wedding feast and tea ceremony to come.

But the worst might have come when the emperor declared them man and wife, on both sides...and that they could now kiss to complete the circles.

"Don't be afraid," Itachi whispered to her, leaning close to her frozen face. She could only keep her eyes glued on him and jolt inside when his lips came to lay themselves on hers, while Sasuke's did the same to Sakura's behind his back. _Oh, gods, I can't look over his shoulder to see...OH, MY! HIS LIPS -!_

A murderous flame burst to life in her heart and traveled throughout the rest of her body.

~o~

She was so exhausted when the festivities were all over. She wanted nothing more than to just go to sleep, but it wouldn't come so quickly, because there was one major problem she'd dreaded even worse than being forced into this union.

She and her new husband, Itachi Uchiha - general and ruler of the village of Konoha and its army - were going to consummate their so-called relationship, and it made her want to bolt to the waste box and let out the contents of her stomach. But Tsunade gave her a couple cups of sake to calm herself down. Her frazzled nerves did relax, but not her thundering heart.

Her body was taken care of early that morning before the dressings, Sakura with her. To think about her best friend and Sasuke in their own bridal chamber made her feel like she would die in a split second. The sight of the cot made her organs roll about. Placed on the four points were a candle for the worldly elements: north on the head was the black candle for water, south at the foot was the red candle for fire and yellow for the earth, west with white for the void, and east blue and green for wood. All were placed to help husband and wife become one with each other and the universe.

Itachi had been standing to the west, still in his kimono, hands clasped in front of him as he watched her intently. "Naru," he said softly. His face wasn't hard as stone, but relaxed and very kind. Was he doing this just for tonight? She took only a few steps toward him, pausing a few feet away. A brow rose. "Dear wife -" To be called that made her spinal nerves bristle. "- what do you fear?"

She looked down, unsure of how to answer. He must have been assuming she was afraid of any pain that would come, so he took the initiative. He walked over to lean down and kiss her again. He set her on a fire that Sasuke never made her feel - or maybe it was stronger than that. And strangely enough, she wasn't repulsed.

 _Am I under his spell and can't get away?_

Or worse, even scarier: _am I falling in LOVE with him?_

Naru thought she had experience with love, but that kind was nothing but farfetched. It resulted in the first broken heart she had, so she was afraid of a second time around, or if his definition of love was nothing like a girl would want. Men saw women as trophies and objects to be seen and not heard, so what if he changed his mind about everything he'd promised before tonight? If dread didn't fill her enough, then it infected her.

Itachi's hands crept up her back as he deepened the kiss, one of them coming up to gently probe the sensitive back of her neck, making her quiver. That limb found its way to her short shockwaves of hair; the hat had been removed before she came to this room. Then he released her, both from his touches and his lips. Kami, she was breathless, and her cheeks were burning!

"Let me." Before she knew what was happening, he was grasping her sash and removed it. He was going to undress her; instantly, she panicked. "Naru, if you don't relax," he said sternly, "this won't be pleasant for either of us." The outer silk was gone then, leaving her in the brocade underdress followed by the cotton undergarment - she really hated these formal things! _A_ yukata _is much better than this._

She had never been exposed to a man before - and she'd seen black and nothingness during her rape - so she had to quickly cover herself with her hands, mostly her breasts and the private area between her legs. Itachi chuckled at her timidity. He continued to gaze over her as he worked on undoing his garments. Naru had to look to the side, which he didn't seem to mind. It made her wonder if his first wife looked the same way as she; a part of her felt inferior now compared to her.

The rustling in her ears ceased, telling her he was naked as she. But she was too embarrassed to look at him. He was taking this expertly gentle and slow, guiding her. He was going to show her how it was done. She chose to just let him.

Naru found herself laying down on the cot, his member in between her; she didn't look any further over his body other than his torso and arms. He was...beautiful. Majestic. A warrior. She'd never seen a man like that. And he was her husband. Her belly twitched and pooled liquid heat which seeped down to a certain part of her anatomy that itched for some form of contact. "What are you doing to me?"

"Hn?" He looked at her quizzically. "You're asking me what I am doing. My lady, I am giving you pleasure you've never known." He bowed his head, tongue sliding over the top of her left breast, swirling around the hardening nipple. She gasped and arched into him, swallowing it down when she was stricken with shame at how he easily broke down her defenses. _Oh, this is not what I thought it would be..._

His hands were moving again, one sliding up her flanks and sides, the other her thigh and dipping in between it and its companion to find the wet thatch of curls, palming over it to find the bud sticking out of the flaps and into the brush. Her moan was so loud she thought she would go deaf; she was losing her mind as she was losing control of her own body. "Don't stop," she whimpered, turning her face in the opposite direction, closing her eyes.

Itachi snickered. "Not on your life," he promised, withdrawing his hand from her apex, replacing it with his hips aligning up there, and thrusting in slowly before barging right in, making her cry out with such rapture that he vowed to give her, increasing when his hips began to thrust in and out, repeating the ritual for an unlimited amount of time, the paces quicker than any of the candles that flickered in the calm air.

Naru threw her hands to his shoulders, grasping onto him as she felt herself being dragged over that cliff of paradise. This feeling...this sensation...was far more exquisite than any tapestry in the palace walls. What had previously been unknown territory turned into a voyage that made her want more.

"You have...marvelous breasts," her husband murmured, burying his face in their valley. "And fine curves. You are woman in body, but more man in spirit."

His fine acknowledgement and praise in itself with the luxury he spilled into her was the most beautiful thing she'd ever felt that it made her heart weep - but then it was over when he raised his head, and the tense silence and equally stony gaze made her open her eyes and look at him. She wished she hadn't, for she didn't like those eyes ablaze with ebony flames.

His voice was low and dark. Angry. _Oh, gods..._

"Naru...you're not a virgin."

 **Oh, God, this is just about to take a turn for the worst. :S At least, I think. Or if Naru tells him, would he be understanding or brutal...?**

 **Review, pretty please.**


	11. When Naru Told Itachi the Truth

**Recently I returned to research because I'd been wondering about women and virginity in Japan. Women in medieval Europe (and anytime up to today) prized their virtue while it turned out that women in Japan of this time were the opposite, and that the lack of it in no way diminished her honor or is an obstacle to marriage, according to a source. Plus, unlike being widowed, Japanese women could divorce just as easily as men, which won't stop them from remarrying (but this is a sin to leave your wife or husband for Europeans).**

 **However, women in Japan are human beings as much as we all are, so it's likely SOME prized their virginity, and if violated, the impact is just as powerful.**

 **We left off with Itachi saying his new bride wasn't a virgin, and a hell of a cliffie it was. Man, was it hard for me to think about. I was just as nerve-wracked as you still are. But here you have it...**

Chapter Eleven

When Naru Told Itachi the Truth

 _He knows...he KNOWS._

The nightmare had come to life. _And on our wedding night, which had been so..._

Naru Uchiha had endured a blissful intoxication only for the nasty side effects to kick in, reminding her of how bad it really was. Her mind was racing so much that she felt her stomach roll. She really wanted to throw up, to escape - ANYTHING! Anything to get away from him, who was eyeing her like a wolf watching its prey, their naked bodies still against each other, and it was smothering to the death.

Her body moved of its own will, pushing him off her, amazed at how she managed when she was aware of how strong he was, and he fell backwards onto his side, relieved that the candles didn't knock over - fiery red and yellow, both for the flames of wrath - and she quickly leaped to her feet, picking up her underdress and slipping it over her body. There was no time to finish dressing. If she could just get on her horse and away!

She wasn't thinking clearly anymore. She knew it, but didn't care. She wanted to just run away, go anywhere but here...

"Naru, come back here!" her husband bellowed after her as she ran down the corridor, from the bridal chamber. A few passing servants saw her running with great speed. But she wouldn't stop. She didn't look anyone in the eye because she was afraid of slowing down. Behind her were the faint sound of footsteps.

 _He's following me._

Naru eventually found herself in the grounds, jumping over the gate, falling to her knees and cursing her clumsiness. But she eventually picked herself up and ran to the stables, finding Iru's stall, unlocking and throwing it open. She grabbed his saddle and threw it over his back, kneeling down to buckle it with greater speed than she would. If another person saw that, they would be shocked she knew it so well. Deed done, she jumped on top after fastening the reins in between his teeth and flapping them as the command for him to run for their very lives which depended on it.

She flinched with disgust at the feeling that was still present at the top of her thighs, and she cursed the man responsible. But most of all, she swore at herself for letting this happen in the first place.

She would NOT regret getting the help to save her family, but she damned wished there had been a way to avoid that bastard she was now married to - and whose voice shouted at her as he began to chase after her himself, having caught up to her and was working to get his own beast so he could go after her alone. _Why don't you just call your guards to stop me? Or are you so desperate to just get your prize yourself, handle me yourself to spare public humiliation?_

This was why she hated men and their pride so much.

"Faster, boy!" she shouted to her friend, who whinnied in response as they were making headway for the forest. This was one of the stupidest things she'd ever done, and the only weapon she grabbed were her bow and arrow now on her back. In such limited amount of time, she got enough of what she had to, but here she was: barefoot, wearing a kimono underdress, and on a horse saddle with nothing else to protect them both. She acted on impulse instead of stopping to think. Tsunade would no doubt lecture her if she heard about this!

"DON'T BE A FOOL!"

At the same time, while she was down the road into the wooden darkness, she grabbed Iru's reins and halted him, sending dirt and debris into the air. There he stood, having appeared out of the blue, and before her in his glory. He was in nothing more than his black tunic, his muscled legs for her eyes. Naru hissed in disgust; she wasn't going to let him distract her. "Get out of my way, or I will shoot," she growled, reaching for her _yumi_ and _ya_ , aiming right at his shoulder. Killing him would be all too easy, but a slight injury would do. He entrapped her in a loveless marriage, lowered her guard, and found out her darkest secret -

\- except he didn't know WHO had been behind it. Would he even understand if she told him?

"If you so much as wound me, the imperial guard will be on you whether you are my wife or not," Itachi answered coldly, reaching then to his waist and drawing forth his great sword. "Now, if you are wise, lower your bow and arrow or I will have your blood on my blade as it pleases me." His eyes narrowed then, pitch black but shining.

"Give me one good reason why I should not punish you for either lying to me or damaging my pride by running away like this."

Naru lifted her chin, lip curling. "Why would you care? You are nothing like Sasuke said you were. It seems he didn't know you as well as he thought he did. You're just going to whip me like everyone else did when I disobeyed them - or even kill me now that you know," she dared to say, and this had to be it for sure.

Itachi glared back at her. His silver blade was far stronger than her simple wooden feather sticks; he could cut them down if she shot a targeted part of his body if he wanted to. "Killing you is too easy," he said, "but now that you admit it, enlighten me on who it was with."

Her eyes bulged. He was literally accusing her of being a _whore._ "How...DARE you insinuate when you know nothing! It was nothing of the sort!" The burning appeared at the corners of her eyes as she tried to keep the tears in. "I was just a child when it happened -!" She had to stop there, but when she did, what happened next was not what she anticipated from him.

His sword found its place back to his waist. His face was hard as stone, but now it relaxed a little, and his eyes were now filled with utter dismay. She couldn't tell if it was her fault for keeping this from him, or if it was him feeling guilty for not assuming this beforehand.

"Come back with me so you can tell me the entire story."

~o~

Her first thought was to just fire her shot, to hell with the consequences, but he just sat there on his horse, bare-legged and sword sheathed again, with no one else after them. He had to be a bigger idiot than she thought he was, and how _dare_ he try to placate her and coax her into coming back to the palace so she could talk to him!

 _It means he wants to know. He deserves to know._

She had never felt so defeated. She never told anyone, not even her own family, because Tetsuo threatened both her and Sakura's lives. Although wherever he was now, he was either dead or doing so well for himself - but so had she. If only he could see her now, she thought sarcastically. But what she never planned for herself was being an unwilling bride while the real man she loved was in the same position with her own sister.

"And if you are wise, my wife, you will cease fighting if you want a civil ending to this petty dispute. I'm not the enemy you think I am, because our enemies are outside these lands, not within - and certainly not with each other," Itachi said firmly, and that was all to get her to put her weapons onto her back. Bitterly, Naru didn't say another word as she rode alongside him, him not saying another word, as they made way back to the palace grounds. When they got back to the stables, she hopped down Iru and led him to his stall. The sound of a cleared throat made her stiffen, but she refused to look at the man she was reluctant to call husband. "Are you going to help me with Jiai?"

"Do it yourself," she snapped. "A man would do things on his own rather than letting others take care of him."

"And a woman should learn to show some respect rather than defiance," he retorted. "Whatever happened to you when you were a child, it clearly affected you so much you distrust any man." _You bastard son of a -!_ "But that ought to change. Trust me for once, Naru?"

Naru glared up at him. The moonlight radiated off his face, showing every strong angle, marring him as a living god before her eyes. "How could I ever trust you when you set up my prowess for show before everyone's eyes, took me away from the one I truly love, and put us both in loveless marriages?" she sneered. "You're manipulative, bloodthirsty, and prideful as any other man...just like the one who stole my innocence and betrayed me."

Nothing but silence between them.

Crystal blue locked with onyx black.

The wind picked up, wisping through long raven hair and short, spiky gold.

Finally, he spoke. "Manipulative...bloodthirsty...prideful, hn. You're not the least bit afraid of me. Does that mean you fear death if I administered it?" he asked smoothly. Naru swallowed as she looked back at him. Behind them, their horses whinnied softly as they sensed a heated fight, getting hotter than what was transpiring now.

"Not at all. That bitch Tayuya pointed a blade to my throat once, made me bleed a little, and threatened to kill me if I tried anything before Granny and Sakura came," Naru answered breathlessly. "I don't fear dying. Especially not by you."

"What about being bent over my waist and whipped countlessly with my own belt? Remember I warned you I would only give you one chance to show me proper respect?"

Naru gulped then. She _did_. The belt was one thing she would prefer to go without, and he seemed to have gotten through to her like this. He surely would, because he went through with making sure he would get what he wanted sooner or later. He smirked. "Now can we go inside before the night gets colder?" he asked.

 _Damn it all. I'm screwed for life. But now I have no choice but to tell him about Tetsuo._ What frightened her most of all was seeking the man out, if her husband had it on his mind, because she didn't know if the man would still carry out his threat against Sakura... _because I'm the shogun's wife now, so I can't be hurt by a lesser man without him being at risk of proper punishment..._

She let him take her by the hand, but instead of him leading her that way, he picked her up bridal style and carried her all the way across the grounds to the door in their direction.

~o~

Back in the bridal chamber, it was plaguing her mind with memories both good and bad, temporarily being away. Itachi let her sit down against the wall beneath the window while he gathered the sake to calm them both down. But she knew it would help her loosen her tongue even if she wanted to hold it. She was such a mess that she thought she was going to die tonight.

 _Calm down, Naru. Take a couple drinks and loosen up. You'll feel better and maybe learn to trust him._

Oh, but she trusted Sasuke and the emperor as well as Pervy Sage and her friends in the village more than she trusted this man. Why would telling her story after all these years make a difference? Naru rested her head back against the wall, needing that drink more than ever when it was offered to her. Itachi even gave her the cup along with her outer kimono to make herself warmer. She thanked him with only a nod, pulling the heavy silk around her shoulders. He watched her without a change in expression, waiting for her to begin. He had no further tricks up his sleeves, no questions to ask. He wanted to listen.

"How do you want to hear it?" Naru quipped after downing in a single swig. "That I was the one to give him the wrong idea?"

"I wish to know his name and what happened exactly. But I doubt you would give a man the wrong idea," Itachi answered with a single, small sip of his own.

She sneered back at him. _Hard to believe._ "And _I_ gave you that wrong idea to chase after me until you won?"

He frowned at her. "This is not about you and I. It is about you and _him_ , whoever he was," he said firmly. "Now, begin your story. I don't wish to order you again, but this will be your last chance. My patience has limits." She hated it, but he was right. It was now or never, all or nothing.

"Before I start, how did you figure out I wasn't a virgin?"

He simply hummed. "Your lack of pain and no bleeding, which I know from my very first time," was all he said. He was speaking of his first marriage, and that made her decide if he wanted to hear her story, he owed her in return. That was exactly what their wedding night turned out to be: a so-called passionate consummation turning into a battle within moments. Marriage was one battle after the other.

"I was thirteen at the time," she began, looking away from him and ahead at the cot still surrounded by candles. "When Granny Tsunade and I were talking about marriage, and that was when he was coming here for a visit from abroad. I remember it all like it was yesterday. She told me he was very strong and powerful, one of the most skilled male healers on the battlefield of the last two wars. I was...unsure of what to expect. She said he was looking forward to meeting Sakura and myself, and when we did, we were floored. He was so..." She stopped herself. To think of him as handsome after all these years was a personal sacrilege, but her husband seemed to sense her discomfort. "Anyway, he was kind and friendly to us both, but he seemed more impressed with me because I was more man than most girls. Because Pervy Sage - I mean, Jiraiya-sama taught me everything. Then he was sent away on orders for a couple weeks on the border, before his retirement, and I was left with the man..."

He did interrupt her, but patiently and curiously. "What did this man look like? If you are comfortable telling." She flinched a little at his swing from cold and commanding to warm and understanding. He was more of a myriad than his younger brother was.

"Red golden hair, blue eyes, and a...build not burly but not slender, either. There was a scar beneath his left eye, from possibly a shuriken or some kind of blade. He was the kind of man to have a girl at her knees." She felt her cheeks tinge with the old memory, hating how she'd been just a girl who was taken advantage of so easily. "Sakura was one of them, and she kind of still is."

Itachi chuckled then, picking up the sake bottle and offering her more, which she accepted. The effects of the drink were taking effect, numbing her mind and senses, but she was still aware. She refused after this latest. "He saw me as more of a boy just because I looked like one. At first, I was offended, but I see it as just a compliment," Naru said with a slight smile. "We really connected. I didn't think that I would start to like him as much as I did. I thought he would be like most men I met, who saw women as background help..." _Just like your brother whom I met just before that day, only once._

"When Jiraiya was gone, I was in the tutelage of the man whom I thought I could trust, but I was such a foolish girl. I should have listened to Sakura when she told me she saw him looking at me in a way that seemed so...strange and uncomfortable. I thought he really saw me as a student and possible friend. I was even beginning to feel something more than just teacher and student, but I was only a child of thirteen, understanding very little. He betrayed me, even betrayed Tsunade and Jiraiya, his own friends, by doing what he did." She pursed her lips together to keep them from trembling.

"What...happened?" he asked slowly even though he already figured it out, narrowing his eyes then to the same way as he had been earlier. But somehow, she was no longer afraid.

"One day, he took me out with him, claiming that Emperor-sama wanted him to investigate the woods for bandits. I thought it was strange, because I wondered why a teenage girl without a position would be asked to go with him; the emperor never would have approved, but I couldn't say no." Naru squeezed her eyes closed, grasping her cup and threatening to break it to pieces. "In the middle of the day, we stopped because we were tired and had no progress. He offered me my own flask of water, and the last thing I remember was that."

She let the small, empty cup hit the floor and roll across, carrying her words with it.

"He...raped me. I don't know what happened exactly, because when I came to, he said if I ever told anyone, especially Tsunade-baa and Sakura, he would kill both me and my sister, stain the sheets blood red."

 **There will be more in the coming chapter. Let's see how sympathetic Itachi may be since he has taken the time to listen to his new bride's confession.**


	12. Two Come to an Understanding

**What a wedding night this turns out to be: passionate sex turning into a fight when the husband finds out his wife wasn't a virgin when he married her, and then she tells him the story of her rape as a teenager. Now we see what his further reaction shall be and what happens between them.**

Chapter Twelve

Two Come to an Understanding

Naru thought that talking about it would be difficult, but for some reason, it took off the long-lived weight from her shoulders. She felt like the darkness was coming off, but there were still shadows that needed complete light from the sun.

She still would not look at Itachi, because what was going to happen now that he knew all he had to? He got his answers, but was it enough? She was so afraid now and hated herself for this -

"If I had less self-control, I would hunt him down personally and bring his head to you."

Her head jerked in his direction, shocked beyond belief. He just...he listened to her darkest secret she kept with her all these years, and the best he could say was something that mirrored her thoughts regarding how she wanted the bastard's head if she ever saw him again. "That's what I wanted," she said, feeling the familiar dark feeling coming over her heart. "I wanted his head by my hand. I wanted him to pay for what he did to me, but I was a weak girl then."

His hand came to rest itself on her shoulder. She jumped at the bold contact, sliding away from him and looking him square in the eye. "Death isn't the answer, Naru, as much as we would wish it," he told her, making her reel in disbelief.

"E-excuse me?" she demanded, outraged.

"Believe me, I have known several men in my life, and trust me when I say that when they follow the path of revenge, ending with death of the one who caused their pain...it _never_ ends the way they wish it," he said sternly. "You will only tear yourself apart if all these years of dreaming about the results haven't already. Even if you succeed, what will you have? The satisfaction you crave?"

Naru opened her mouth to say it would definitely be a yes, because death was no less than Tetsuo deserved, and if he could do it to her, what if he'd done so to others after her? But before she could answer, her husband interrupted her with his own answer. "You would feel nothing but emptiness," he stated with his fingertips against her lips, the contact making her wince and her nerves sizzle. It should have felt good, but it just irritated her and made the angry flames intensify.

Pulling her face back, she snapped, "You said you understood me, but telling me that he deserves nothing as payment is the answer? What if he'd done this to another girl after me? Before that?"

Itachi's hand remained raised. "Calm down, Naru. I did not say we were leaving it be."

"Then what is it?"

"I am simply saying that if you encounter him again, we face him together. I lost someone twice and nearly fell down that path. I would have succumbed to the bleak pits of damnation had I'd not had aid." _You mean your brother and your comrades. Or did you take a life once and knew what this "emptiness" felt like?_

She jumped again when she realized how he'd slid closer to her, his body nearly touching hers again. He was leaning her way, almost to kiss her again, but she resisted, rearing her head back by an inch, uncertain about accepting. "Naru, you were left to suffer through this alone, even though you have more friends than I remember having for myself. Only one had helped me leave the pit, before I lost him. I regret the way I have treated you before, but I wish to make it up to you by helping you. I loathe the one who wronged you, but killing him is not the answer."

Naru did not know what to make of all of this. Just before, he was controlling and demanding in the subtlest way possible, but now he was full-out sincere and understanding. He was comforting her and willing to help her. She looked into his eyes, letting herself be drawn in once again, and saw no trace of smug or deception.

He meant EVERY word he said.

Something inside her cracked. Unaware any longer, the dam broke as she leaned forward and laid her head against his chest. Strong arms came to wrap around her and hold her. They remained there for a good while, allowing her to cry freely in his embrace. Silence lingered until he broke it with the very question he wanted answered, and she was reluctant to give it to him.

"You never told me his name. I have deciphered, but I wish to hear for confirmation."

 _You already figured it out, but you want to hear it anyway._ Naru raised her head then, his arms loosening to give her room. "Answer this last question for the night, _tsuma_ ," he murmured, calling her his wife in their native tongue. Which meant he was expecting her to call him husband, but she wasn't sure she was ready for that step. "What was his name?"

She knew that was coming even before he asked, because she realized she never answered. "Tetsuo Ishii. I don't know where he is now," Naru mumbled, lowering her eyes, and he placed a couple fingers under her chin to raise her face, to look back into his eyes.

Itachi nodded. "I knew him a long time ago. When my men and myself were wounded in Iwa during the last war, he treated us all with success." Then his face darkened. "But to know he had done this monstrosity to you makes my blood boil." He stood up then, bending forward and offering his hand to her. Naru laid hers in, and he pulled her to her feet.

"It has been a long day, and the hour grows late. Now we sleep."

Naru couldn't agree more. She was so tired as it was. She was also relieved they didn't touch each other again that night, despite dropping their garments again and sliding beneath the blanket, the candles around them blown out. She could have looked at him again to see the rest of him, but she wasn't ready especially after tonight's events. He didn't seem offended, either, but the last thing she remembered as she turned to lay on her side away from him was the feel of his strong, smooth body spooning her from behind, a thigh and arm wrapping around her, and a soft kiss was placed on her cheek. The tender act made her close her eyes and drift off.

~o~

 _Man, a hell of a night that was._

Somehow, she felt a little happier the next day than she'd been lately. He seemed to notice, gave that subtle smile of his, but said nothing of it. That day was more celebrating of the new marriages. This day she found herself in a kimono that was more different than she would have chosen for herself: black patterned with lush red blossoms, tied with a golden _obi._ And she could have been given an elaborate hairstyle and wig, but people knew what her real hair looked like, and until it was grown out longer, she was given a large hat to match her dress and cover it up. Appearances still mattered.

She thought this thing on her head was going to tumble, or if it was crooked, but it had been checked before she came in with her husband that morning. When he looked down at her, he gave a small nod of appreciation, saying nothing.

What she was stunned to learn was that she was allowed to walk in front of her husband. _How come I never knew this before?_ Itachi chuckled. "I sometimes asked myself that," he answered, "but a woman does as much of the hard work that she deserves the courtesy of taking the walking lead."

Now that made Naru smile broadly as she appeared in the hall, arriving in time to meet her sister, or sister-in-law - all of it in one that it was almost laughable. Sakura's long pink hair was twisted above her head and set with a couple chopsticks; her kimono was emerald green with golden and white lotuses, fastened together with a red brocade sash. Her best friend really was lovely, and for some reason, seeing her in front of Sasuke this time didn't seem as painful as before.

If only they were alone, then Sakura would ask her how it was, and no doubt would have stories of her own. Although the blonde wasn't sure she wanted to hear them, and she didn't feel comfortable talking about her own.

When she looked past the pinkette's shoulder, Sasuke's face was as unreadable as his brother's was. She couldn't tell if he was still unhappy, but if he wasn't, then he'd better learn to treat her sister right, or she would castrate him herself. That was the least she could do if she could never have him, and if he might never return the love Sakura deserved.

She watched as the brothers greeted each other with hands held, both nodding and speaking few words to each other, congratulating the other on the hopefully long and prosperous union. Now she and Sakura were for each other's ear alone.

"I hope he was gentle with you," Sakura whispered to her, making her wince a little, which she noticed. "He wasn't, was he?"

"No!" Naru realized she said it too quickly. "No, he _was_."

The pink-haired woman's eyes lit up. "I hope it was memorable," she said, and that was all Naru needed to end it at once. The little clear of the blonde's throat got the message. _But since she asked about me, I should give her my turn._ And when she did ask the question in a low voice, noticing her husband and brother-in-law also talking amongst themselves, a blush to match Sakura's hair came over her cheeks, giving her the answer.

"Although," she added, "I don't think Sasuke-kun was as...thrilled as I was. I felt like I had to do everything for him." Naru had to narrow her eyes at that. If she lost control over this, she intended to do what she wanted to Sasuke. She would get out there with him in a sparring match - or would those times be denied now that they were married to separate people?

The morning meal between the two couples was private, but then they would head out to the courtyard for the horse riding tournament, the first in three days' time. Marital bliss to last a week, celebrating with the village, and then things would quiet and return to normal. Though it was an understatement that Naru was frustrated. She wanted to get on a horse herself and show off to the crowd, and not feel bad about it.

Today, she was sitting on the benches, in the same expensive kimono and headdress, being prim and proper as she watched her husband go down there, at the same time her brother-in-law had. _Brother against brother, the day after their double weddings._

What made the show: they went against each other, in their armor and their pole-arms raised. She was almost rooting for Itachi to win, simply because he was her husband, and she had to support him in this, while Sakura had to do so for her new spouse.

But what nobody, herself included, counted on was that _Sasuke_ won the round, knocking his elder brother off his horse and onto his back. Naru wasn't sure she heard herself shriek with shock at the sight.

 _ITACHI!_

The horrified crowd gathered around his fallen form, and his soldiers wasted no time helping lift his heavy body, the sound of metal clinking, and his helmet fell to the grass, which Naru bent over and picked up to gaze into the empty space, then up at her husband being carried away. One or two of the men parted for her to see his head rolled back, raven hair swishing about with each movement. His eyes were closed, his mouth parted slightly. He was unconscious from the fall. She wasn't a healer, but it couldn't have been that terrible to kill him.

"Get out of my way!" Sakura shouted, pushing past the onlookers and under the watchful eye of her husband who could only gaze with guilt as his brother's life could be on the line, and it was his fault. She picked up her heavy skirts to run after the men ushering their leader into the palace.

Naru tailed close behind, along with the few ladies that were assigned to her for her every need - _and I don't even know if I can enjoy ordering other girls around -_ because it was her responsibility as his wife to ensure his well-being. Her heart and guts clenched painfully as her mind raced with her quickened pace.

 _I don't even know if I will ever love him the way I loved Sasuke, but I can't bear to see him die like this._

~o~

Itachi was going to be all right, but he was on the physician's orders to remain confined to bed until his bones healed and his pride regained. He had just been beaten by his younger brother, a day after their double marriages, in a single blow! And if being bested by his future wife wasn't bad enough...

Sasuke was outside the general's rooms that day they received the news, out of his armor. His face was grim, paler than before. He really was worried for his _aniki'_ s life. She decided to reassure him instead of choosing this time to lecture him about her sister. "Sakura will take care of him."

"Hn...no doubt she will," was all he said as he stared at the closed screen door. His voice was low and blank. "She stitched my arm up after a dispute." His eyes flashed a little at the memory, telling her it was fond and impressive for him. "Tsunade really taught her well."

Naru had to nod, happy internally. "But," she said finally, "do you think she's the kind of wife you would have wanted for yourself?"

He raised an eyebrow at the question. "This is the first I've heard you ask of me since I told you I was getting married," Sasuke said, plain and simple. She shrugged with one shoulder.

"Things can change." _Whether you want it or not._

"Then my answer is simply that she isn't the one I dreamed of, but she is no less, either."

He basically said that he didn't hate Sakura, but he didn't want to marry her, either. And she was exactly the kind that was required for him to tolerate, to care enough about and treat her as she deserved. That was enough for Naru to know.

It was here and then that Tsunade appeared, sticking her head out the door with a slight smirk. "Good news, children," she said lightly. "He is going to make it, but he is going to need the necessary herbs and a painful relocation of the bones where you struck him." Her eyes hardened when they landed on Sasuke. "You'd be lucky I don't break your bones to give you the treatment, your lordship." Naru stifled a snicker at the look on his face.

"Like I had a choice, Lady Tsunade," he said, "but you're aware as well as I am that these things happen in jousting, in this country and every other with it."

"And if I had my way, I would say that it'd be banned, because men can be killed or permanently disabled," her guardian answered crossly, then turned her attention down to Naru. "As for you, your husband is currently still sound as a rock, but you can see him now for only a few minutes."

And in the meantime, she had to find some way to "entertain" herself. It also meant the post-marital celebrations would have to be cancelled after only a day. The village must have heard by now about the accident. Though it would take maybe an hour to learn he would make it. In the meantime, she would have to assume the duties of the wife and work beside Emperor Sarutobi, until Itachi was well. She had learned enough about the shogun's wife role, and was ready for the challenge. She was glad she wouldn't have to be confined to just household duties, but at least she got to know her new ladies a little bit that morning to understand they all would know what they were doing.

What surprised her was that every one of them also served Itachi's previous wife before her death.

Naru asked the ladies all in plain brown kimonos to wait outside because she really wanted to be alone with her husband. When that was done, she made her way inside just as Sakura was standing up, having help cleaning the area around Itachi's unconscious form, and her sister looked her way with a sad, sympathetic gaze. But thanks to her, Itachi was going to live.

Sasuke stayed where he was, watching his resting brother with the guilt present, but when Sakura came to be in front of him, she tentatively reached up and cupped his cheek, softly speaking and insisting he not blame himself, that it was only an accident. He simply nodded and forced a smile to a corner of his mouth. That was a good sign to Naru, who now found herself alone, on her knees beside Itachi. He had a few bandages over his forehead, his hair loose and spread around his head like a raven halo. The blanket was drawn up to below his shoulders, revealing them to be bare, and the left had the wrappings which told her where the surgical process took place. And done by as many bare hands.

Itachi's face was very peaceful. This was the first time she saw him like this. He looked like a...fallen angel. Lost after being cast out. Or a child who had his joy taken and didn't know what to do now. She closed her eyes and bowed her head...

...and it seemed like an eternity before the solitude was disturbed.

Imperial scouts came to her while her husband was still sleeping. It was highly likely that he would be in bed until a week or two was up, because he sustained a bruised and nearly dislocated shoulder, all of which Tsunade took care of and deprived Sakura of her job since newly wedded bliss was still alive and well. _At least he was unconscious and didn't feel the pain._

"What's going on?" Naru demanded in a hushed voice, standing up from his side as Kotetsu and Izumo both dropped before them, out of breath, and the bandaged one offered her the scroll that was wrapped with red ribbon. Taking it, Naru pulled the string off and unfolded the ancient-looking paper with extreme care...and what it said made her blood go cold.

 _Oh, by the Kami. It had to come at a time like this._ And what it said also caused her to say the very words that made them both straighten up.

"Get ready to defend our village."

 **When Itachi tells his new wife that revenge only tears you apart, I was thinking about Part One when Kakashi has Sasuke tied down and tells him to forget about his revenge on his brother.**

 **Oh, man, Itachi has also been injured a day after his wedding, and what news has Naru received that made her say they need to protect their village? Find out in the next chapter...**


	13. When War is Declared

**I might finish this story in less than a week, but who knows. The same goes for "Night Flowers". I'll be relieved. :)**

Chapter Thirteen

When War is Declared

 _Ame ninja spotted crossing the borders to Fire Country not three days ago by Konoha scouts. Amassing of armaments and samurai. Likely to attack within this month and the next._

She had to reread it a second time after her declaration. Ame, the ever-raining village - one of the smaller locations - still had no alliance to Konoha or the others. It remained cut off from the rest during and after the Second War, which Tsunade-baa, Pervy Sage, the snake Orochimaru and the others fought, and the fighting took place worse. And when her mother Kushina had the odds against Hanzo the Salamander.

But why would Ame warriors be coming into this territory? She could think about the reason for them to attack in order to grab something higher for themselves. Why else would they have growing numbers of men and weapons? They were declaring _war_.

Izumo gawked at her in disbelief. "M-my lady, you're making that decision while -?!" He really was questioning her while her husband was beneath them, and if the emperor was secondary, that would leave her in charge. Itachi never said anything about a second-in-command taking his place if he was disabled. _Except maybe Sasuke, his own brother._

"You're honestly questioning my authority," she said coldly. "If this is accurate, then I say we prepare. This is our home, and we do everything we have to. We don't have time for my husband to wake up and give his answer. He would no doubt give the same response." That also left a little problem, which was how many men, horses and weapon supplies they had. Suna, their ally, would have to come as backup even if they, too, struggled after the last war many years ago.

The Fourth Great War could NOT happen on her watch. If there was going to be any fighting, then that meant to keep it between Leaf and Rain. Their enemies outside would never take advantage if she had anything to say about it.

Both Kotetsu and Izumo looked at her with shock, having been subjected to the jurisdiction of their general's wife. "N-n-no, Naru-sama!" Kotetsu protested, dropping to his knees, and his partner followed suit. "We did not mean any disrespect." _Mm-hmm, that's just what I thought._ She gave a little smirk before it faded. She swallowed, looking back down at Itachi still asleep soundly.

"Does the emperor know about this?" she asked the scouts.

"Not yet, my lady," Izumo said, looking up at her. "We would give the word for your husband before he consulted with His Imperial Highness."

She narrowed her eyes, looking off to the side at nothing in particular. Amegakure meant war, and whoever its new emperor was, he must have had an ambitious appetite to rekindle the flames of war - but what about a personal grudge? There was a possible chance of that, too. "In that case, I am going to see him - and you two are coming with me," she said, rolling the scroll back and retying it with the ribbon, then held it in one hand as she picked up the front of her kimono to speed walk her way through the palace. The emperor could not have audiences at the present since some time ago, the festivities were cancelled, and he knew Itachi was in no condition to see him.

The guards outside the emperor's rooms spotted her; when she explained her reasons, they nodded, and one of them went inside to inform his master she was here. Taking a deep breath, Naru graced Sarutobi-sama with her presence and the grim news.

~o~

"Ame Village...and after all these years," Sarutobi murmured when he read the scroll at his short desk, sitting on his knees behind it. She sat before him in the same position, hands on her knees and head high. "This is terrible, and our finest general is confined. We need someone in his place before they come. This report indicates they are not far away from crossing our border from the rain village."

"You are thinking about Sasuke, Your Majesty," Naru said, although she intended to say _herself._ "He could take his brother's place."

There was a twinkle akin to amusement in those wizened eyes. "I was actually thinking about someone else, with Sasuke only as a second partner," the old man answered, and she felt like she had been stricken like a bird shot down in the sky. Internally, she jumped with excitement. He had really given her the place of commanding Konoha's imperial forces. If only Itachi was awake so she could tell him. Although, she couldn't help but wonder if she was getting too far ahead with that.

"Me, sire?"

" _Hai,_ Naru. You have little military experience, but you have the knowledge that your mother possessed. Kushina was a protector of families, having been on the field only a few times, but it was a challenge she enjoyed. You deserve this opportunity - though this could cost you your life." She had to lower her eyes; she knew that was coming, but she wasn't afraid. If she died, then so be it. She would go down knowing she tried.

"Judging by your lack of surprise, you're prepared."

Naru nodded once. "Anything for this village. But we have the men and supplies, Your Majesty," she said, looking back into his eyes. "We still have a chance, but would it be too late to issue a letter to Suna Village as assistance?"

Sarutobi sighed. "It's likely they would agree, to increase the odds, but it won't be guaranteed."

"Anything is better than to just sit by and make assumptions," she insisted. _And besides that, we need the best medical healers for the wounded and dying. I already know two of the best, but one of them...Granny might not make it on the order. This could very much be her last fight._

Sakura would also have her work cut out for her when she would find herself on the frontlines. Except she could only attack someone who would break into the campgrounds, try to kill the patients under her care - or even her. Sasuke would see his wife heal so many injured men.

The amount of warriors from Ame were totaled to the current numbers of Konoha, which was why Suna had to come into this. And if there would be any fighting, it had to be settled outside the village grounds. She was NOT going to have innocent women and children be caught in the middle of something they had no involvement in.

"We have one month at least to prepare, so I will send the letter to Suna, requesting their assistance," Sarutobi told her. "You spend your time readying the men and the armaments. I have complete faith in you, Naru."

Words could not describe how happy she was. _This means I finally become a real fighter, then those men will look at me like Izumo and Kotetsu did - and respect me like Itachi and Sasuke._

 _"Arigatō_ , Emperor-sama."

~o~

Itachi slept throughout the day, and she came back as darkness fell. Sakura was just doing a follow-up to make sure the wound wasn't infected, and she changed the bandage around his shoulder. The pinkette gave her a smile. "He really slept all day, Naru. Just like a log. But it doesn't surprise me. This one is really made of strong stuff."

 _Yes, he is...and I think his looks are starting to really get to me, seeing him like this._ It was shallow to like a person based solely on appearance, but could she help it regarding the man who forced her to marry him? _I really have a weakness for these Uchiha men..._

His face had turned to the other side, away from his wounded shoulder, at some point. His chest rose and fell with a steady rhythm. "Thank you, Sakura," Naru said in a hushed voice, embracing her sister when she stood up and was just leaving with her gathered equipment in the bag slung around her shoulder, including the dirty bandages she replaced with fresh ones. She tried not to let the tears prick the corners of her eyes.

"Sakura, can you promise me something?"

Her sister frowned. "Anything?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"Don't let Sasuke's distance put you down. You must do everything you can, however you can, to show him he's deserving of you as a wife," Naru answered, leaning up to place a chaste kiss on the other woman's forehead. _Every man might think they want a woman who does what he tells her to do, but the reality is he wants her to show her worth._

The hopeful light appeared in verdant eyes. "N-Naru...that's the best advice I think you've given me all our lives," Sakura whispered, returning the kiss to the same place. Her body wracked before she cleared her throat, and then she left, Naru closing the door behind her. She turned her attention back to her sleeping husband, then let her eyes fall to his exposed, chiseled shoulders. He really was so vulnerable in this state. It made her belly tighten and then go to pool down between her legs, making her itch. She quickly moved to kneel back beside him, pushing her kimono beneath her, but the movement only increased the feeling below her body.

Why did the looks of him have to make her feel like this, at a time like now?

Naru flinched at not only the constricting layers of the kimono around her, but also the fact her breasts were aching and her groin tingling. She had never been so annoyed in her life. He was partly to blame; he awoke something in her she didn't remember in her life, not even when she was a young teenager. "You really are something," she muttered, looking upon his peaceful face. "I told you that if a man touched me, I'd cut his manhood off." _It's funny, I forgot about it until now. And then you brought up my place in society and said my freedom wouldn't last. Well, you did that all by yourself, until you found out what I was too afraid to tell you. You understood me in the end...but you haven't trusted me with your secrets._

 _And if you could make me bring mine out, then you owe me in return._

"...that was really quite the statement of the century you gave me that day, Naru."

She jolted back by an inch, almost falling onto her backside. She didn't even notice that he'd been awake the entire time! Had he'd been pretending from the moment she came into the room and Sakura left?! "You - how long?" she demanded.

"Precisely when you came in, but your sister can't even tell the difference between actual stupor and pretense." He chuckled and opened his eyes, blinking sleep away, then winced a little when he tried to sit up.

"You are not going to move because Sakura and Granny Tsunade patched you up. Sasuke really did a number on you."

Itachi laughed again in his throat, looking up at her through lidded eyes. "That he did. I'm very proud of him for it. He showed he could beat his elder brother after all," he said, then turned his eyes down to look at his bandaged shoulder.

"Everyone really thought you were killed by your own brother," Naru told him with a sniff. _Except some thought you would make it, and you have. I knew you would._ "Sasuke and I waited outside while you were treated. Granny said you need your prescribed herbs and almost two weeks' rest."

His face fell. She knew what he was thinking: someone had to take over his duties while he was confined against his will, and that also meant she had to tell him about what happened very soon, only it was getting late. But he said nothing to the welfare of the village, instead reaching up with his good hand and cupping her cheek, rubbing his thumb over her skin and tracing the lines.

"Well, thank you for being beside me when I woke," he murmured, his eyes shining. "And Naru, tell me: have I ever told you that I adore your whiskers? How they define you as a unique, rare woman?"

Her throat felt dry when the gasp escaped, and her hearing might have turned off because he did this to her. He told her he liked these things she'd been born with, being called "fox girl" as a child, and he called her _unique_ and _rare_. Who ever told that to her? Sasuke had said once he liked them, but he didn't TOUCH her the way his brother - _my husband_ \- was doing now, and tracing the lines in the precise locations.

She was rendered speechless. "Itachi..." He shushed her gently, then slid his hand down her cheek, which she took as his silent way of asking her to come closer. She bowed her head, close enough to his face, and then he came up to press his lips tenderly to hers. The spark burst.

 _He makes my blood boil. First, it was hatred and frustration. Then it was intense desire. It keeps bouncing back and forth. He saw me as an equal, but he knew he wanted me. The only thing we share in common is combat. He..._

Now the question whether or not she was falling in love with him was back. She was afraid, because she fell for it before, but he wasn't using any trickery. He was just making sure she trusted him and didn't think ill of him any longer. And didn't he say last night he would help her no matter what?

Naru Uzumaki once declared she would never marry, because she loved her life the way it was. Tsunade told her she might change her mind, and she did say to this man once she would not let some man she shared a bed with order her around. He wasn't as horrible as she believed he was. She had been so...unfair to him. She only made him want her all the more.

What she felt for Sasuke was one-sided beginner's luck. He was better off being just a friend, and she had told Sakura she could make him see her as an equal, too. She was just being a child, making a big deal out of nothing, and being a spoiled brat. She felt so ungrateful.

Itachi noticed her hesitation, her loss in thoughts. "Naru?"

"I...I'm sorry," she whispered. "For everything." His brows furrowed. "I treated you unfairly."

His expression softened, but his tone was firm. "No, I was the one who treated you so. You don't deserve to be made as a background. I wanted you because you are not a woman I ever knew. I treated you as a prize, when you never were. I only wanted an equal. I just wanted the best for you, and I'm going to make sure you have that. But..." He sighed, his breath soft against her skin.

"...I don't appear afraid of anything, but the truth is I am afraid I will lose you just like I lost so many others." He was speaking of his wife and child before her, his parents, and any comrades. "I put up barriers around me so that I am not wounded emotionally any longer." That struck her home.

He admitted he built walls, too. They had a lot more in common than she thought. Her compassion for him started to grow in this moment, in this position. She let herself lean down and kiss him on his lips, which made him a little startled. He was hurt only earlier that day, and here they were, with her saying she was sorry for treating him poorly and he voicing that he couldn't afford anymore pain in his heart. Trust was starting to overcome any obstacles she'd purposefully placed between them.

 _Perhaps being married won't be as bad as I thought it would be._

 **So, maybe it felt natural Naru would realize she MIGHT be in love with her husband after all, but there's more problems to deal with: upcoming war, Itachi's secrets, and what will happen between them when the problems are settled...if at all. A lot can happen.**


	14. A Woman Takes Her Stand

**Good God, what to do with this since something great is coming. I have also been wracking myself with what do to with the oncoming threat. It's something -** _ **someone**_ **\- we are very familiar with, but how to bring it into feudal times...**

 **Not only that, I just completed a new oneshot called "Rose Water" and a longer fic, "I Walked With a Zombie" (named after and based upon one of my favorite film noirs of the 40s). The new chapter of Night Flowers has also been put up. :)**

 **Harder to do than before because we have husband and wife learning to trust each other, then comes preparation for the fighting.**

Chapter Fourteen

A Woman Takes Her Stand

How could everything happen in such a short period of time? And to be precise, it had been _four months_ of living here, this man coming into all of it.

Her actions were the reason for this, but it might have just been fate as a whole. _What does it matter now? Granny said that everything happens for a reason, said the Kami may have had a hand, and when I make a choice, the rest works itself out._

 _Could this chance for me to prevent a real war from breaking out also be a part of it?_

 _And what about this man who played a hand with my place now?_

"I don't appear afraid of anything, but the truth is I am afraid I will lose you just like I lost so many others. I put up barriers around me so that I am not wounded emotionally any longer."

Naru had to pull herself away from him, sitting back on her knees. He had opened up to her like this after her sister cared for him. He told her that he had a heart, but nobody was allowed to see it. He lost his parents, friends and comrades, and his first wife. He saw her as a second chance at happiness after all these years, but he was still guarding himself in spite of it all. He liked to have control, because who didn't want that? In control of yourself was something she knew too well. _Well, Granny, you were right again here, as always: men hide their emotions very well, when beneath that hard surface is a much softer one._ "You have so many burdens, more than I thought you did," she said finally, "and here I thought you were one to me."

His chuckle caused his shoulders to shake faintly, before his face tightened as he stifled a cough in his throat. "Believe me, a burden on the outside isn't compared to what is on the inside, Naru."

"You're speaking of those you lost." _This is it._ "Do you wish to talk to me about it?"

His face schooled into a serious mask. She braced herself for another refusal just like when she tried to ask him about Izumi, which was his most sensitive just like it was when Tetsuo took advantage of her. She understood now. Everything. She was going to be careful now, but if he said he didn't want to talk about it one more time, she would have to think of a tactic to get him to talk just like he did to her.

But to her surprise, he relented. "Yes, but tonight, I'll tell you some, and save the rest for another time."

Naru nodded. "That's good enough for me," she said.

He smirked to one corner of his mouth. "But I will if you agree to change out of that kimono and get into bed with your husband," he said with a slight drawl that made her refrain from jumping out of her skin.

If he didn't make her face and body heat up any more than it already was, she did just what he said and stood up, working on the sash and then the heavy outer layer of the robe, letting it fall to the ground. Just the two of them, and she wasn't ashamed to disrobe, because he'd seen her before. And it was only last night. "We're not going to do it again," she said as she got to the golden brocade beneath. "You got patched again by Sakura, remember?"

"Honestly, Naru, what do you take me for?" Itachi replied heartily, eyes intently watching her every move. "I would never further injure myself with 'strenuous' activities. And I'm not a lust-starved barbarian, as you figured out last night."

Now she was down to her thin underdress which was a plain, thin and simple white garment which wrapped around like the kimono or _yukata._ Which he wanted off, too, of course. Now that was gone, and she was completely naked for his eyes. He gave a little smile of appreciation at what he was seeing.

"Now come here like a good little wife, and I'll tell you everything."

She did just that, but first had to rearrange her garments so they didn't wrinkle on the ground. She ended up turning her back to him, and he chuckled at the sight. _Of course he likes what he is seeing._ Deed done, she walked over to her husband, the lantern still lit behind their heads. When she pulled down the blanket, she was accidentally gifted with the sight of her completely nude husband. She blushed as she found herself actually _looking_ at the thing which made her a real woman only the other night. She'd never seen one before, only heard that it was far different from what a woman looked like, but the details were best left to the imagination and kept among _women_ just as these secrets were what men preferred amongst each other. The piece of flesh hanging limply between his powerful thighs was huge, but not monstrous, the end a triangular shape, and the base crowned with a trim of black hair. If she had SEEN Tetsuo's, she might have gone mad with insanity, but this here was Itachi and not her old tormentor. "Are you going to just watch me all night?" he asked with an amused twinkle in his eyes. Was he really asking her that when he was looking over her the same way?

Naru slid beneath the blanket beside him, pulling it over them both, and her body rubbed against his from the side unintentionally - or was it? But the feel of his bare, muscled skin against hers made her relax. It made her want to fall asleep here and now just like last night. If they could do this just every night without coitus, she could live with it. Her eyes were lidded for a moment before his warm, rich voice made them snap open, reminding her he was going to give her some answers. She pulled the coverlet higher over them.

"I'm sure Sasuke told you once about our parents," he said after a moment's pause. She nodded. "Well, our father, Fugaku, was one of the greatest soldiers besides being a feudal lord himself. It was rare for a landowner to fight in the battlefield himself, but the Uchiha were exceptional. Our mother, Mikoto, was therefore charged with caring for her sons as well as the lands, as it is required. But she could even make do with the weapons." A faint smile crossed over his face before it was gone. "However, she wanted to go out with Father, except it was unheard of. But she didn't complain and obeyed orders. Mother was a strong woman, but unlike you and both your mothers. She was submissive."

Why did that not surprise her? Women obeyed their husbands. His own was an example of strong but compliant. "They sounded like they were very good people, despite what everyone said about your family," Naru said, craning her head to look him in the eyes. He did the same, downwards.

"They were, although Father was a firm man who kept everything in place, not bothering to accept anything new unless he had no choice. Another flaw of his was that his youngest son was overshadowed because of the standing of older above younger." _Which explains why Sasuke was so desperate to show his worth, was the brooding brat I remembered._ "But he would never live to see Sasuke be what he is now, because he died while he was fighting in Kiri Village. It was then that when word got back to Mother, she chose to go out in his place whether on orders or not," he said with a drop in his voice, turning into a deeper undertone.

Mikoto decided that her husband's death couldn't be in vain, was that right? Naru found she admired the woman even more. No matter what generation, a strong woman would emerge. However, because Sasuke said she was dead when she was captured, that conclusion must have come here - and he must have not known the entire story because he'd been a child. "What happened to her?"

He answered her straight to the point. "I was still a boy entering manhood, and Sasuke was still only a child at this time. I was among to receive a coded message from the enemy that they had one of our own, but didn't specify who, to be precise...and one of the scouts went out to investigate only to come back with the news that it was 'Fugaku-sama's wife who was supposed to be back at the house.' My blood turned cold upon learning my own mother chose to be so rash unlike herself, leaving Sasuke at home to be in her husband's place. I was one of those to go out into that territory, but I was also still young and that was my mother; they thought I still needed protection," he said with a spat in his accent, "so I disobeyed and went out to save her myself...but I was too late when I came across the warriors who had her and were doing something far worse than death, before one of them cut her throat. It all happened before I arrived."

 _Oh, God..._

What happened to his mother was far worse than she would have imagined. She squeezed her eyes closed as she could imagine the pain he felt when he heard the Kiri samurai boast about ravaging her before her son could come to her rescue. He must have faced punishment instead of public suicide when he returned. "I was expecting a severe beating," Itachi said, voice getting darker, "but I was let off the hook simply because my family was taken away. I was only a child, but a part of me felt I deserved it. I couldn't even save her if I wanted to. I was still inexperienced despite being a witness to war at the age of four. I saw more than _otouto_ ever would. I expected him to blame me as soon as I returned and lied, saying our mother was taken from us, but he could only wail and throw himself into my arms." He closed his eyes then. "Nothing was ever the same since. He didn't understand that my failure was just as strong as his wish to be just like me. He could never understand the depths, and all I could do was be strong for his sake," he finished in a harsh breath of a whisper.

Naru didn't know what to say. She just buried herself into his shoulder, the one that wasn't wounded. His story struck at her heart much deeper than Sasuke could have given her. _Because he knew so little. Why could he not ask his brother when he got older? Or does Itachi still see him as his younger brother who still needs his protection?_

"Did you ever...kill her murderers?" she found herself asking.

"Yes. In battle, when it was my side against theirs. And I did not care about my personal feelings. As far as I was concerned, they were guilty not only because of what they did to my mother, but for causing bloodshed on others. Kiri, as you must be aware, was known for fearing certain families they thought too dangerous to be left alive, hence why they were known as 'Bloody Mist' in those days."

That made her a little better to know that he got his revenge on the wrongdoers, in a somewhat productive way and wasn't alone, but - "However, don't get any ideas regarding your own demon," he told her, opening his eyes again and peering into hers, freezing her in her spot.

Naru gave him the rolling eyes. "You think I would after what you told me?" she countered. Chuckling, he raised his lips to her forehead, kissing it softly.

"Only making sure, dearest. But I still stand when I say we do it together if we see him," Itachi promised, letting her spoon closer to his side. Simply because she needed his warmth, which filled her with a new joy that she always thought never existed. "Something worse than death is the best option. It would be quick and merciless to just remove his head from his shoulders."

And he was speaking this way of a man who treated him and his men during the last war, when Naru Uchiha, a newly married woman of nineteen, was still Naru Uzumaki, a girl of only twelve years old. _Just wait till you see me now, you bastard. I'm stronger than you remember me. Just you watch._

~o~

She told Itachi the next day about the letter, but he didn't appear to be all that surprised, although he did tell her that he was pleased they were getting ready and had more than enough time, but that also meant waiting for word from Suna Village. It was ways off and within the desert regions.

"It's a shame that I am in this blasted bed for two more weeks at most," he grumbled, laying his head back and staring up at the ceiling. But he smiled faintly and looked up at her proudly. "But, I trust my wife to act in my stead, with the emperor beside her."

She fought not to weep at those words. They spoke of the depth as to how much trust he was placing in her. Her heart sang like the birds of spring which was months away.

Naru sat before Emperor Sarutobi once again, days later and discussing how there was still no response from Suna Village, as well as the need to begin training the men, which was going to be a little problem because she remembered when she sat with Sasuke before his little army of ten, and their mockery of her being a woman dressed as a man. But then he stood up to them for her, threatened to have them beheaded. This time, she would stand before hundreds of men in samurai armor, and she would make a similar threat whether she meant it or not, only to keep them in line. She was their general's wife, so she was entitled to the same respect he was.

"Yes, I very much agree with you," Sarutobi told her with a hum as he inhaled smoke from his pipe. Then his thin brows furrowed. "But aside from the cooperation of these men, what about you, Naru? Are you faring well...or do you still feel like a prisoner as you thought?"

Her answer was a smile as well as this: "No, Your Majesty. All is well."

He didn't say anything, either, except he gave her a crooked smile of his own. Proud that she was growing up and starting to make the best of things instead of always fighting what she believed were obstacles.

 _Life is too short to live the way I used to, and that is shutting mostly men away simply because of one bad experience a long time ago._

When he inquired about Itachi's health, she answered that Sakura and their mother cared for him well, making the old man chuckle before coughing a little. "Forgive me," he said when it was over. "I feel I am not as young as I used to be. Your mother insists even that I give up smoking this." Naru giggled a little, silently agreeing with Tsunade. "But it proves easier said than done. Many fine men have succumbed to death when they are at their worst from this."

If that was the case, was he going to die anytime soon? When she asked him this, he shook his head. "Perhaps not, perhaps I will. But if it happens, then so be it," Sarutobi answered. "I'm old as I have said, my dear girl. And when my time is over, my grandson will take my place." He was speaking of Konohamaru, a boy of only twelve years of age. Naru met him several times, and he was a little brat who needed someone to put him in his place, although in a sense, she knew what it was like to be seen as invisible.

 _Because people see him as the emperor's grandson, not as a person._

"I'm sorry." She bowed her head. "I wish it wouldn't have come like this."

"Now, don't worry about me. It is bound to come sooner or later. It's best to look for the future rather than to dwell about the past or even worry too much about now. It's even best to relish the joy of the present while we have it."

~o~

Naru didn't want to start a panic, but word always got out no matter how hard you tried to keep it in.

Shikamaru told her the news when he was in the village, overhearing many "prophesizing" doom if Ame ever snuck into the village. All were barricading their homes and properties as well as arming up, which was NOT what she wanted of them, although if she was in their position, she'd do the same. But they wouldn't have to worry since she had the situation under control.

Or so she hoped.

Right now, she stood in front of the entire palace court, beside the emperor and in front of him at the same time. Tsunade was on the opposite side, with Sasuke and Sakura on _her_ opposite. The shogun indisposed was the truthful answer she gave to anyone who dared to ask her where her husband was. And this was when she snapped, but kept calm at the same time.

"Here I stand before all of you today. We have a month precisely to prepare for the onslaught that must be prevented. We have been through a war three times before, therefore we do not wish for a fourth to come. Or is it what you really want?" Naru asked coldly, her eyes scanning each and every other around, seeing the anger at the idea of their home coming under attack from outside and the inevitable of a possible Fourth Great War.

And as expected, a male soldier dared to call out on her. "You are asking this question when we prefer to take the orders from the general, your husband, and yet he puts you in his place? The general's wife should be on the sidelines for protection." Some burst into laughter, which made her blood sear into boils. She raised her voice at the same time she flicked her finger, gesturing a guard at her side to come forward, presenting her with a long, heavy sword that was lifted at the same time she did her voice.

"SILENCE!" Just like that, the hall was quiet. Clearing her throat, she went on. "This is our home and land under siege, so do you wish to waste time disrespecting me over my position? Your lord has me in his place because he believes in me, so his wish is for you to show your loyalty as well as to put your fates in my hands. The one who dared to speak to me in front of my subordinates, come forward or I'll force you." _By force, I mean a guard._ The message understood, she snorted at the pitiful sight of the man with brunette hair and eyes.

"Hear this." Naru lowered the weapon to her side. "I may be a woman, I may just be the general's wife, and you all only know me for my family's rescue with the help of his brother - but I assure you there is more to me. I'm the daughter of heroes." _My parents who risked their lives to protect me, and Pervy Sage as well as Granny who raised me like their own._ "I can also use EVERY weapon known to man, but even that isn't enough. I confess I have no true military experience...but do you think that will stop me?" she asked with some anger creeping through.

"Some of you fought in the Second Great War, so you remember that Ame was a village wracked by its own emperor, its people suffering more than ours as well as our allies' and larger enemies' ever had. Now they're coming to us for unknown reasons, but it's highly likely they want to conquer us. We are not going to take any chances and let them trample us. We lost friends and loved ones then as well as during the next conflict to follow, so we may repeat the same again - but in the end, if we cooperate, we can triumph like last time."

When she was done speaking, she hadn't realized how tired she was now. She'd never talked that much in her life.

The soldiers looked amongst each other, murmuring and amazed that she'd gotten through to them with such inspiring words. And if they had one bad thing to say, they chose to keep their tongues behind their teeth. She turned to look at the emperor who bowed his head and smiled secretly. Tsunade did the same, although her face was smug and proud.

Sakura beamed like a young girl again, and her husband didn't do much other than cant his head in respect.

 _If only Itachi had been here to SEE all of this._

Naru was the daughter of two heroes, the last of the Uzumaki clan and married to an Uchiha, and she had more than enough to show for it.

 **I have not had reviews in a while, so I'd appreciate them now. :)**


	15. When the Past Comes Back

**Thank you to those who reviewed the previous chapter, including the one who asked about SasuSaku. I thought about more, yes, but had no idea how to. :( I thought less was more...**

 **I also got a guest complaint regarding how I made Itachi "weak" in here, because he got his ass whooped by Naru first and then by his younger brother, because he is STRONGER than that. I'm fully aware of that and know exactly what I am doing, but this is NOT the ninja world. These are feudal times, and that means no matter how strong a man or woman is, there is always someone to best them. They always have a weak spot. Plus, Itachi had the Sharingan in canon which is one of the most powerful bloodlines in existence, but in here he might miss something by accident. As well: his brother can best him if the opportunity comes.**

 **In short: Itachi and the others lack chakra in here, but his mind games and use of words are just as strong skills for him. Even though he is twenty-three years old, Sasuke and Naru both are more agile than he is since he'd seen war at a young age and is probably more weary than he used to be. Even with the traditional samurai training, it's possible Itachi can still get outsmarted by the duo that's his wife and brother.**

 **I was watching "The Six Queens of Henry VIII", and the first episode concerned his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon. She was the warrior queen who taught him how to be a king, even fought a war for him from the invading Scotland. A certain quote is depicted in this chapter.**

Chapter Fifteen

When the Past Comes Back

"Why has Suna Village not responded to the letter of urgency? There is NO time to delay; they have one more week to tell us how many men, horses and weapons they can supply!" Naru snapped angrily at poor Izumo when he informed her there was no response back from the village in sand - but then luck changed when his partner hastily rushed in and dropped to his knees with the letter wrapped in blue ribbon, which he panted out was what she'd waited all the time for.

Smiling, Naru took it from him and opened it, taking care to not expect too much - but what was inside exceeded all expectations.

Suna was coming to help them. In three days, they would all meet at the border between their lands and this one. This was good news that Naru couldn't wait to tell her husband.

The men in the troops were going well with their training. Many of them were skilled war veterans, others young men gaining experience - and in between, a small handful were young adults who were seasoned above others. If she was going to command all of them, then she trusted Sasuke to lead them into the fields.

"Well, I'll be looking forward to some action again," Tsunade said when she was told of this news, a glint in her eyes that worried Naru, "even if I put my life on the line again just like I used to."

That worried Naru very much. This woman was like a mother to her, was the only one she knew, but she had the stubborn streak indirectly inherited from Tsunade; her mother Kushina had been, too. And the Uzumaki and Senju were distant cousins.

She was with Sakura today when her sister was knitting something for Sasuke. "What is it, a scarf?" she had to ask, seeing the dark material bearing the Uchiha crest - a fan with the top part being red and the bottom white, to represent unity as well as fanning the flames of will. She'd been at work on this for weeks now, and nobody knew except Naru until just now. Sakura was putting her heart and soul into this just like Tsunade did with that red scarf.

"Sasuke could use something more...special than just my cooking," the pinkette said, who was in a plain _yukata_ matching her hair, tied with a red sash. "I think he might love it. But I don't know if he will say it as I did."

Sasuke wasn't good with expressing all of his emotions, but at least he showed his appreciation with what she gave him. "What has he given you in return?" Naru asked with a raised eyebrow. "Besides being good in bed?" That was a bold question that made the other woman blush to match her hair, as always.

"Well, Sasuke has started to...be more active," her sister answered with a shine in her eyes. "He's also started talking to me more. He told me about what happened to his parents." _But not the entire story, because his brother believes he is better off never knowing. And that is between them, not for me to interfere._ In other words: she had no business telling Itachi's side to her sister even if she wanted to.

"Itachi told me, too," the blonde said instead as she was absently looking through the thread material gathered around her friend, then at the material in her lap. Married women in every class usually learned how to sew every article of clothing to the richest of tapestries, so she had no choice but to start learning. Fighting couldn't always get her everywhere, she was told. A problem was, though, that she had to be careful with breaking a nail or pricking a finger with the needle.

Sakura's green irises shone with sympathy. "Both of them know what we went through." _No idea how right that is._ "And when I told him my mother and father died in the fire, he...leaned in and kissed my forehead." Now her eyes sparkled.

Naru smirked to herself. It seemed she didn't have to give him a warning, after all. He figured it out on his own.

 _Looks like you might be falling in love with my sister for real._

"I guess it was all meant to be without us knowing it," Sakura said after a few stitches left, and the black thing with the Uchiha crest was complete. The blonde could hardly believe what she was seeing. Something like that took heart and depth, even time.

"What about you? You're doing much better than me, if I say so."

She was referring to Naru drilling the boys. "I have. I'm sure we have our chances against these people," the blonde answered proudly, although she didn't want to believe she was pushing her luck and confidence. "We did it before, we might do it again. And if my mother could handle Hanzo the Salamander, and if Granny could heal every person and taught you to -" Never mind that Tsunade had often lost a patient. "- then I can lead Itachi's armies with him beside me, and Sasuke bringing them out to the field."

Sakura nodded, smiling, but then it was gone. "But that also means you would end up going out there with your sword and arrows in hand. You know what that means, Naru?"

 _It means that I could die like the rest of them._ But she wasn't afraid of death, like she said so many times.

At the back of her mind, she wondered if it was going to stay that way. This was a real battle to come. It was nothing like fighting petty thieves or dangerous men like Orochimaru. It was bigger and scarier.

But if her family could do it, so could she.

~o~

"You look like you're doing better," Naru noted when she came in to see Itachi pulling his sleeveless maroon kimono over himself, and that was the first time she became flustered seeing him in something different from his armor and black garments. His bandaged shoulder was revealed, telling her that he was mobile but the wound itself not visibly gone just yet.

He chuckled, turning back to face her and offered her a view of his sculpted chest down the front of the blood-colored garb. "Never been better," he replied, rolling his shoulders back and forth, groaning a little as he popped the bones. She could hear it all the way from where she was standing. How on earth could he do that to her, this man who had her life in the palm of his hand? Who had stolen her heart?

 _Oh, I really sealed my fate with him._

She walked up to him with the scroll, choosing now as any time to give it to him since he'd had all the rest he needed, and some good news would be in order. Emperor Sarutobi hadn't allowed any visitors today, but since he was leader in name only, tomorrow sounded better. Her husband's eyes mattered the most. Taking it, Itachi's orbs lit up. "No reason they could have refused," he said, folding it back and retying it with the ribbon. "Their general will look forward to meeting you when they meet us at the rendezvous."

The shogun general of Suna was a young man named Gaara, whom she heard was the same age as her. He was perhaps the youngest in Suna's history, having first become at only sixteen years old. It didn't surprise her, but it still impressed her. From what she heard, he was also the son of the previous emperor whose relationship with his youngest was...strained, or at least an understatement, because his wife died after delivering Gaara.

 _The man's dead, too. I wonder if he would have changed his mind if he saw what his youngest son became._

Naru was looking forward to meeting Gaara of Suna, but on the other hand, she was nervous. She didn't know him besides his accomplishments. She had no idea what kind of man he was personally. When she had to voice this to her husband, he chuckled and put his hand to her shoulder. "Gaara-sama is a fine man. He's been anxious about meeting you, I assure you. Although he and Sasuke aren't on amicable terms or even cordial."

He said that his brother and the Sand ruler didn't get along, but that wasn't her problem, was it? What was between the boys was between them. "Would it be wrong to...challenge Gaara to a spar?" Naru asked smartly, taking the tea service from the maid who bowed and left them alone in the room.

Itachi rumbled in amusement. "I would love nothing more than to see that, wife." He kissed her cheek. "But it would be bad timing in the coming battle to be most feared, although he believed it when I told him that my wife is stronger than any man whose sword met mine," he replied, breath hot on her skin.

She'd only gotten the response of assistance today, so this must mean he and the Suna general communicated on a regular basis. Gaara must have known about her for a while before now, which made her feel honored. "But I know you are looking forward to sitting beside me beneath the tent," he told her as he accepted his cup from her, clinking it with hers for a mild cheers.

Oh, the general on the battlefield in what was called his "tent office", or _bafuku._ Temporary spot, but it was very useful. Consulting with the samurai beneath them as well as allies, keeping progress on the front. There would also be medical tents set up for the wounded and dying, for Tsunade, Sakura and any medics from Suna to do their work.

"Did you ever think Ame would finally come to light, after the Second War chaos?" Naru asked.

"Hn. They were quiet all this time. It's a good question as to what sparked this uproar now. Ame Village prefers to keep to itself, and we did nothing to be put on their list," Itachi answered, frowning. "But on the other hand, none of the five greater nations bothered to offer them assistance, and yet it wasn't like they would have asked anyway."

 _But that also meant they suffered for the longest time. We know nothing, but it is obvious._

So, she could understand why they would think about attacking Konoha, to better themselves since they'd been isolated for the longest time.

There was another issue: nobody knew who the leader was, and she considered meeting with him, but that was where the bigger trouble was. She could be ambushed and killed, and Itachi, too, but what else could there be?

"If only there was a way to find out their leader. We have nothing on him, if he could be anything like Hanzo. Because my mother killed him herself during the war."

Itachi chuckled. "And Kushina did a fine job of it, I heard. However..." He frowned again. "...I highly doubt that posing as a geisha will do any good against this leader of Ame." _Disappointing._

All that left was to wait for Suna to get here, and then together, they would see where to go from there.

~o~

If she didn't say it before, she was saying it now. If she was going onto the battlefield, she would need her own armor. It had taken some time, but she finally got it ready in time for the Suna imperial forces to arrive at the border. Gazing upon it on display, Naru grinned for all to see as it was to her liking, but as for how it would fit on her body...

Surprisingly and not, the uniform fit her like a glove.

 _Samurai women even have the same training as the men do, even if they are often placed in charge of the home and lands. She hardly ever gets to go on the battlefield with her man and his comrades. Either way, she's required to be humble and submissive. If her husband is on the field, she's got to be protector of the children and property._

At least she wasn't a real samurai woman, but the general's wife. She was going out there with him, had no children to watch over yet - _I'm not even sure if I'll be good mother material still_ \- and the emperor would watch over the palace and the village.

The inside of the armor felt fitted like her favored _yukata_ , but the heavy colored steel outside made her shoulders feel a little heavy. It was nothing she couldn't handle. She gazed upon herself in the mirror and couldn't stop smiling. Her maids were gushing, but she could see a bit of jealousy in a few sets of eyes. Sakura and Tsunade were also there, appraising her. "Now I'm jealous of you," her sister said, although there was no real envy. "You're going to give your all, and we -" She looked up at their mother who turned her gaze downward. "- get to heal anyone seriously harmed."

"And I get to see my wife ahead of time before she rides out with me tomorrow."

Itachi was there in the doorway, his irises bearing an intense glint. Behind him by the shoulder was Sasuke, smirking to one corner of his mouth. Both of them looking her over like they couldn't get enough, although on her part, their presence was for different reasons.

Sasuke saw her for the first time in armor he wore everyday himself, though his gaze wasn't anything like his elder brother's. He watched simply with careful admiration and respect. He was a dear friend whom she really wanted to see when she donned this thing. And she used to think of him as an immature child who looked at others beneath him!

Itachi's smoldering eye was also of respect, but it included desire and pleasure. The latter wasn't like what the former meant, but because it made him happy to see another beside him without just being there. And he did the honors of presenting her with the weaponry she was going to need.

She was given her cherished _naginata_ , _wakizashi,_ bow and arrow, but she was also bestowed with the sickle-chain _kusari-gami_ , the simple _kama_ sickle and _aikuchi_ knives to put on her back as well as around her utility belt.

Now she was ready to go off to fight.

~o~

They made camp at the border, setting everything up before the afternoon grew late. There were three medical tents as the numbers would no doubt grow; Tsunade and Sakura would have Suna doctors and healers to provide support. Sasuke and the soldiers took up position outside the grounds, coming back once in a while for replenishing with food and water. And Naru was with her husband that day beneath theirs, she in a black kimono with gold blossoms and he in a plain one when they were greeted with word that Gaara-sama and his army had just reached their location.

Though she was ready to fight, she still had to wonder if it was too late to send out a letter to the enemy with an attempt to negotiate before any bloodshed could happen on these grounds.

Itachi sighed when she once more brought this up. He sat on his cushion as he read the latest report, looking down at it blankly and not at her while she stood over him. "Perhaps we could bring this to Gaara's attention when he comes, but I doubt the Ame emperor or general will easily agree. He and his people have been abandoned all this time, remember?"

"You don't need to remind me that," Naru said irritably, folding her arms over her chest.

"Then please, Naru, don't make this difficult."

She sputtered. "D-difficult? You are honestly talking to me about making it hard when we spent all these weeks preparing for an attack, instead of thinking about peace talks?" She growled through her teeth, forcing out, "When we don't know who the leader is."

"Precisely," Itachi replied, then looked up when the curtained entrance of the tent opened as Kotetsu himself arrived. Naru jerked her head in his direction, seething inside at both the interruption as well as her husband. He loved peace and protection more than anything, but talking ought to come first before violence. Yet when that failed, fighting was the alternative. _Be grateful, Naru, that you're prepared either way._

"My lord, my lady?" the bandaged scout uttered out. "General Gaara-sama." He stepped aside then just as the man himself placed his first foot inside. Itachi arose then, pushing his kimono out to smooth it for appearances.

Naru was gob smacked at the appearance of the young man. He was NOT what she'd imagined. He was fair-skinned, with short and spiky auburn hair, and green eyes almost like Sakura. She was a little surprised by the lack of pupils and eyebrows, though there were black rings that looked like they were painted; if she didn't know any better, she'd say he suffered from sleepless nights. On the left side of his forehead was **愛** , the symbol for love.

"Lady Naru." Even though she was used to the title, she wasn't sure that it would ever be her. She would prefer people seeing her as the way she was, no matter her status. He bowed his head. "It's an honor to finally meet you."

" _Arigatō_ ," she answered, bowing her head in return. "The pleasure is all mine."

"However, it is a shame it had to be under these circumstances," Gaara said. He sounded like he'd been broken all his life and had taken all the effort to show his worth. Kind of like herself. "Your husband has told me everything about you. Our nation does not learn from the outside unless you are connected."

Naru bit back a grunt of annoyance at how accurate that was. Although in Ame, her family's names were known because of her mother's defeat of the emperor at the time, her adoptive parents dubbed legends themselves, and her father's prowess. "Then you know that I have very little military expertise. I have never been in a real battle like this one," she confessed, looking between him and Itachi.

They were both giving light smiles of understanding, but they both believed in her. They knew she could do this.

It was then that the Suna shogun called for his right hand and chief medic to come in for introductions. It turned out that his elder brother, Kankuro, was in command of the armies. He looked nothing like his younger sibling, with short and wild dark brown hair, and those purple markings over his face made him look like a tribal member outside the country. Although, he was ready for a fight like she was.

 _But discussion of possible peace talks come first. That is, if Gaara agrees with me..._

The other man on the left of the general was one she had dreamed of seeing again to exact revenge. The one who her husband said he would help her against if the chance came. But it HAD to be at a time like this. That scar beneath his left eye which was bright blue like its twin, hair red-gold but now rust compared to Gaara, and his jaw having lost its roundness a long time ago. She almost didn't recognize him...

...and the old hatred returned with the fury of the army firing on command.

The medic within Gaara's command was none other than Tetsuo Ishii - the man who betrayed her, drugged and raped her when she was only a girl of thirteen.

Itachi's eyes blazed black fire at the name and the face when they rested on the man.

 **Reliable source quote:**

 **"The government that was ran under the shogun in feudal Japan was called shogunate,** _ **shogunshoku**_ **or** _ **bakufu**_ **. The shogunate government system was introduced by Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first Kamakura shogun. The term** _ **bakufu**_ **simply means 'tent office'. This was due to the fact that the headquarters were initially set up temporarily, often on the battlefield. The bakufus in feudal Japan included Kamakura bakufu, Ashikaga bakufu and Tokugawa bakufu."**

 **Allies have arrived, but an old enemy has returned. :O Oh, what's gonna happen now? Wait and see...**

 **Reviews appreciated after the wait. :)**


	16. When Husband Supports Wife

**Sorry that it took so long yet again, but now the wait is worth it. Story got a few chapters left, but either way, I really am proud of this thing. :D**

 **Soooo...yeah, now that Tetsuo is back, there has been a LOT of questions I asked myself as to how the confrontation would turn out. Itachi has made eye to eye contact with him.**

Chapter Sixteen

When Husband Supports Wife

 _He's here._

 _After all these years._

 _In Gaara's employment..._

Could this become an even worse nightmare than it already was?

His blue eyes locked with hers, recognizing her instantly. He did remember her, admired her hair which hadn't changed despite being elevated to the wife of the general - _he must think that I slept with him to get to where I am now. Or what else could it be?_

"My lord, my...lady."

Why did it feel so unpleasant to listen to him use her title? "Ishii-san," she answered coolly, offering her hand for him to kiss the back, making her cringe inside. Itachi saw her discomfort and cleared his throat. Tetsuo looked at him without a change in expression and released her hand, bowing his head. She wiped the back of her hand behind her, against the fabric of her robe.

"I understand we must get back to preparations," Itachi said, "but I do wish to know more especially about your skills, Dr. Ishii. Lord Gaara, when did you first accept him into your services? I remember this man very well when he healed me and my injured men during the last great war."

Gaara turned his face only halfway to the man who kept his eyes on her specifically. Naru had to fight to not make further eye contact and instead focus on the speaker. "We were shorthanded on healers after our last greatest, Chiyo, gave her life to save mine some years ago," he answered. "Long story short: I was a child and nearly killed by enemy assassins. Not long after, we were all too happy to accept Tetsuo while your village was under the care of your mother and sister, Naru. He is well-revered by us all."

She fought not to close her eyes. Her stomach rolled. Once, she thought of him as a hero because he was a friend of Tsunade and Jiraiya, but what he did to her changed that altogether. And to make it worse, poor Gaara was unaware of the heinous crime. She was sure he would never believe her based on just her word.

"I see." Itachi was unconvinced, too, but he retained his self-control, but was it bubbling beneath the surface like hers? "In that case, I shall look forward to your services amongst our ranks." He canted his head forward as a bow of the head, as his way of dismissal. The men behind their shogun returned it and left when their commander gestured before turning on his heel and leaving the tent himself.

Could the atmosphere get even hotter? It was still early autumn, but the air had tightened enough to cut off the air supply in her lungs. Naru thought she was going to pass out, but then she felt her husband's body behind her because it was just the two of them alone. "The gall," he muttered, wrapping his arms around her waist and just resting his chin on her left shoulder. "I saw the way he looked at you."

"So you saw," she spat, suddenly tempted to wrench from his embrace. "And Gaara - I feel so sorry for him, not knowing the kind of man he is, if the bastard might have taken advantage of another girl like I had been..." Her stomach rolled over that if she drank something strong, she would really vomit.

He nodded. "Believe me, it's taken all my self-control to not drive my sword through his heart. All too easy."

 _If he comes near me alone, I'll do just the job if all options fail._ He must have known her thoughts, knowing her too well by now, for he released her and turned her around at the waist to make her look at him directly. "Naru, my wife, you are strong. If you endured what he did to you, then you can endure his presence...at least until the conflict is over. But for now, we need him amongst our ranks." Then his eyes sparkled.

"However, if he tries anything on you, you can defend yourself this time."

~o~

Naru made her way towards the weapons' tent later that day, with her _wakizashi_ hidden well beneath her garment, utility belt accompanied. Pushing the draping aside, she stepped in without hearing if anyone else was inside. She was surprised to see Sakura amongst the weapons, with Sasuke beside her. _I haven't seen her in front of them since we were girls. She has the needle rocket she used to kill Kidomaru, but other than that, she isn't good with weapons like I am._

Sasuke heard her come in and turned around to see her, but he didn't smile. However, his eyes lit up a little. "She's going to receive more training," he explained.

Sakura going to learn more weapons - but a healer wasn't made for the battlefield. Their job, man and woman alike, was to stick behind and heal the critical, and this was going to be her sister's first time to shine - but if an enemy samurai came in, she had to fire the attack. She needed more than just her poisoned senbons. But she could also use the _kakute_ finger rings, to strangle the enemy with the points at the throat, cutting off all oxygen.

Target practice was a start for her. And not to be harsh, but she had to learn now rather than later. Except Sasuke took her to the side and explained he'd been teaching his wife whenever he got time. "I'm impressed with her control," he said, "when she strikes off with a kunai. But she hasn't been able to master any sword." She could have sworn she heard something related to disappointment in his voice because of his times he'd spent with Naru, so he'd thought that his wife could learn the tricks of the trade. But there was no judgment, either.

"Well, it's very rare for a healer to use a weapon and go out," Naru said. Then her brain clicked. "Although, there is a way to make up for it." And it was a method she knew too well that she tried to teach Sakura when they were younger, but she kept missing the targets.

Naru raised her voice for the pinkette to hear. "Sakura, get the bow and arrow," she called, getting the other's attention.

She sputtered in surprise. "But Naru, I haven't done it since we were children! And in some days, the Ame samurai -"

"Sakura," Sasuke interrupted with a brief chuckle, "I think we can manage until then. Just get the weapons and we can get started."

Naru did the honors of picking up the _yumi_ and _ya_ , and handed them to her sister, who took them both, amazed at the weight and probably the same feeling the blonde first had when Pervy Sage first handed hers.

~o~

"She missed four shots at first, but she finally got close enough to the middle," Naru told Itachi when night fell and the insects began chirping. The two of them were on the cot in the middle of the tent, both naked and the blankets drawn up to them, but neither of them did the deed. The air was a little humid tonight, for some reason, and this was the best option to sleep. "And I haven't tried to teach her target practice in years."

Itachi chuckled, looking first at her and then back up at the roof, the outline of the moon visible. "I remember Sasuke used to struggle, especially with the shuriken on the targets. Once he threw himself in the air, trying to mimic my actions, in which I would be without my armor and hitting the boards with my shuriken and kunai without trouble, since I began at a much younger age than him. Poor boy sprained his ankle, and I would carry him on my back home." _A cherished memory...and I'm sure Sasuke must remember that, too._

Naru turned her body into his. "Sasuke is a good teacher. He said that she couldn't handle the sword, and I could have sworn he must have expected her to, but he didn't say anything about it." She sighed. "I could see that he wanted a physically strong wife as much as she could heal and tend to needs."

"It's like a man to want that, but it even shows how lucky he is," her husband told her. "If she doesn't get up to your level, I know my brother well enough that he will accept her the way she is." He slid closer to her, creating more friction between their bodies.

And just like that, he switched the topic to the one man who plagued them both. All day, she didn't meet the bastard alone or with anyone else. Because by the looks of it, Suna and Konoha were keeping separate camps and only visiting each other with permission of the general. And that meant Tetsuo was busy with whatever his master gave him, thus keeping him from even going into Leaf territory.

"I take it _he_ hasn't bothered you."

"Not at all. But I did have my sword on me at all times."

He smirked. "Very good, Naru-kun," he said, laying a gentle kiss on her forehead. His caresses, touches and kisses were so tender and comforting. "I was sorely going to keep an eye on you from the shadows. I was going to protect you - if he overpowered you." Oh, he - he was teasing her, was he?! She lifted her head up and glared at him with both brows together and her lips pursed.

"I could have handled him myself, Itachi," she insisted. Except at the back of her mind, she hadn't seen the man since she was only thirteen, never fought him herself, so she wondered if she really stood a chance against him, but she pushed the thought to the back and locked it so it stayed there. She didn't doubt herself in her life, and she wouldn't now.

Itachi knew what she was thinking, as always. "Well, he is here, so we don't have to worry right now, but more pressing matters." He was referring to the war they were all dreading, and if they didn't want to talk about Tetsuo, then she didn't want to think about the inevitable, either.

Itachi hummed when she said this aloud. "Agreed. In fact..." Then he shifted so he was towering over her, his shadow over her face, his silhouette against the moonlight that penetrated the tent's gauze. "...maybe something else can take our minds off of that..."

The want in his lidded eyes was admiring but also thirsty.

Her body stirred of its own volition, against her brain. It had been a while since they'd been together as husband and wife, with all of these preparations. It was seen in those eyes: he wanted her, plainly and simply, and wanted her to feel the same so they could not worry about their troubles just for this moment. Just for tonight.

He bowed his head to take her mouth against his. Started gentle at first before slipping further down that cliff to reach the rock bottom, the sparks flying and becoming the flames that would expand. Any sense of uncertainty washed away by Itachi's powerful hands caressing every curve and sensitive line. She arched into him and clutched onto both his shoulders as the pulsing tip of his manhood found its way towards the altar of her joined thighs, rubbing against the guard that was her stimulated jewel. Foreplay over, it was time to move onto the real deal. The wait had been long enough, and he knew it as well as she.

Itachi groaned as he began to set his pace, and Naru didn't care about genteel. She was overcome by the rapturous fire that wasting time being slow and easy was out of the question, but he was doing a good job making sure he wasn't tearing her inside. Women were said to tear and bleed down there either in childbirth or if her man was too rough.

Their hearts were locked, along with their thighs entwined and pubis aligned with pubis. Skin moist with perspiration rubbed against the other layer of flesh like satin of the most exquisite kimono. It was far sweeter than any of the _mochi_ treats, far exceedingly intoxicating than all the sake you would consume.

Naru wasn't sure how many times she elevated her hips to grant him more access inside to seek that spot which made her see white. It was then that they both reached the climax that was all the sweet water they had to drink down.

He was still sheathed within when he got himself together to begin placing more kisses on her jaw and neck. She let him do it, exhausted more than he was; that made her laugh, sounding and feeling out of breath. "Itachi," she said after a moment, "why do we have to have so little time for...this?"

He raised his head and looked at her with smoldered dark eyes, a smirk tugging the corner of his mouth. "It's not a fault of ours. Something always keeps coming up." He was speaking of his jousting accident and now the fighting preparations. And if that was the case, as well as her body still sparkling with his, she decided that maybe she should take the risk and say what was haunting her every moment since she first started questioning it. Saying it now would make or break.

"Itachi...I think I'm falling in love with you."

 **Well, now Naru has said it. :D Let's see what Itachi will say to that - and what else will he confess to her after that? He told her about his parents, so maybe his first wife just like she's desperate to understand will be next...**

 **Review please. :D**


	17. Itachi Reveals His Demons

**It was hard to think about Itachi's response to Naru's confession, though we know he's attracted to her both physically as well as marveled because she's his equal in strength. Perhaps he'll answer easily, perhaps not, but read and find out.**

Chapter Seventeen

Itachi Reveals His Demons

Her confession made his body stiffen.

She was laying in his arms, and he was above her, frozen and silent without saying a word. He looked at her but now lowered his eyes, and some tense time passed before he slowly extracted himself from her, leaving her alone and still tingling a little. _Oh, no, I think I really did it now._

The worst was to come...

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Was he...was he seriously asking her that now?! Naru's face was filled with blood, burning and crawling over her skull. She didn't even know this to the center of her core, because of her experiences in the past, and if she'd messed up this time, she was done for. "Why are you asking me this?" she demanded, glaring up at him now, and it made him back up but remain over her. A second later, he shifted off of her and sat up, looking ahead and away from her. This action made her angry and sit up, too, pulling the blanket to her chest. "Itachi, you're honestly starting another argument like this."

"I'm _not,_ " he said through his teeth. "I simply don't know how to answer back. I told you everything, Naru..."

"Yes, I know what you told me," she interrupted impatiently. "You told me about your family, all your friends you lost, but you still won't tell me about HER. You said you couldn't stand being hurt anymore, and that's what you taught me, right? If you keep this wall up, what is going to happen in the future?" She was aware of the tears burning her eyes, but she couldn't let them fall, so she reached up to wipe them both with a single finger. He noticed but made no note.

"Yes, you are right," Itachi said after a moment's pause. "Forgive me."

 _Forgive you for what? For keeping one more secret?_ Naru winced; he wasn't going to be blamed, because she'd kept hers from him until he found out himself.

"Naru, I never imagined when I would ever tell you," he began, "but the truth is, and I will be sincere...I do love you."

She didn't know if she could hear herself, but did she gasp at his confession? Her heart stopped in its tracks before it started up again in a flurry like snowflakes in a winter blizzard. Fast and furious. "Itachi!" she uttered, stricken with speechlessness. He looked at her now, chuckling a little.

"I have been for perhaps since the first moment I saw you, but as you know, I am not perfect with expressing myself except being direct. And I have not known another like this since I lost my wife." _There we go now!_ "You heard of her, but did I ever mention her name?" he asked quietly. Naru nodded, saying her name which was none other than Izumi, which Sakura told her in what felt so long ago. He nodded. "She was a distant cousin, not close enough to be first or second, in the event of avoiding inbreeding. We had known each other since we were children, and I'd always seen it from a distance before we were contracted for marriage. Her mother was a member of our Uchiha clan, but her father was from outside. It was frowned upon at first, but he proved himself worthy. However, he died when his daughter was only five. As it is, her mother couldn't remarry unless another man asked for her hand.

"Sasuke was born around this time, when Izumi started to smile at me, wave at me whenever our paths would cross. Father saw this as a benefit for the clan, and because we were well-respected enough. So, we grew up spending time together, but while she learned how to use weapons, I have to confess that she was...too gentle to spill blood."

He had been married to a girl he'd known his entire life, but it turned out she wasn't made to go out into the field like she, his mother and both of hers had been. She was kind of like Sakura, in a sense. When she said this, he hummed.

"My parents were dead as I told you, but we were officially betrothed before we were both eighteen, when the great war was at its height and drawing to the end. It had been such a long time in the making that there was very little time for joyous occasions. You must remember since you were eight in the time, Naru." Oh, he was absolutely right. And at the time, she was orphaned, but that was when she met Sakura and then Tsunade and Jiraiya. "I went out into the fields while Izumi was confined at home, although she was using the time to strengthen herself. I admired her determination for it -" There was a fond shine in his eye at the memory, before the star faded in the darkness. "- although, not all women are like you or our mothers. She could look after certain aspects of the household, but to fend off an approaching enemy was another matter." Regrettably, that was true.

Naru found herself remembering Sakura saying this: _"I also heard that if he ever wanted to remarry, she had to show that she could not only run the household, but to look out for_ herself _. He hates women who expect a man to depend on."_ Could her sister have misunderstood unintentionally, just because Itachi didn't want to talk anything about his demons?

"We were wed as soon as the war was over and I returned from abroad, healed of my wounds as were any of my men who survived. It was a joyous day, although...what I have to say is far more than what the public knows. Everything that you will know must remain a closely guarded secret," Itachi told her, his voice darkened a bit. She swallowed and nodded.

He was laying back down into the cot, and she followed him. "Izumi and I were married for three years at most when the most nightmarish thing happened between us."

"What was it?" Naru asked nervously, sliding further beneath the blanket until her shoulder was covered.

What he said shocked her beyond belief. Of all the things she expected, she _never_ anticipated this.

"What nobody should ever know was that she was...violated right before my eyes."

~o~

Naru...she didn't...

 _I don't -!_

Her mind was lost because her husband's truth was in the same level as her anger and hate for the man who did _that_ to her when she was only a child - a child, on the verge of becoming an adult - but now...!

She thought he owed her, and now she understood the explanation he didn't want to trust her with was far worse. She couldn't believe she didn't think about it _this_ way, but how could she have suspected? And just how often did a man have pride and courage to bring up such a thing regarding his wife's sexual history - or her rape, actually! Which was usually grounds for divorce regarding samurai - and shoulder that burden as long as this one did? "Itachi...who did it to her?" she demanded in a harsh breath. "And did you kill him yourself?"

His eyes closed as he "looked" up at the roof of their tent. "I did kill him, yes, without regret - but there was another half that did. I had come home one evening only to find her in OUR chamber, with him over her. She tried to fight him, but he overpowered her. He was one of our servants, and I pulled him away from Izumi only to find that she had been drugged unknowingly." His tone darkened now. "There are no words to describe the rage and hate I was feeling. I knew my wife would never have betrayed me in that manner. At first, I wasn't sure if anyone else knew about this disaster, but I did get answers from the bastard before I killed him, drove my sword through his heart. He had been hired to commit such an unspeakable deed," Itachi seethed, opening his eyes and looking at her again.

"Who was it?" Naru asked through her teeth, fuming as much as he was. She wasn't surprised at his answer, but she was still shocked and furious.

"Suzume Uchiha was her name. She was yet another distant cousin, but she was an intolerable woman. I had known her for years, and Sasuke loathed her more than he could have handled Izumi, I can tell you," her husband answered. "To even think she was capable of such an abomination, to go so far to ruin my wife that way...I repaid her by giving her a warning during a personal visit, away from prying eyes. She met me alone under a great tree when the moon was shining, and I drew my dagger to leave the mark on her shoulder. It was a relish to see her whimper in pain. I told her if she so much as tried to come near me and Izumi again, or even breathed a word of the injury, it would be the end of her. Not in death, but much worse." _Oh, a life on the streets or in a whorehouse, right? Deliciously genius!_

"And after that?" she asked, elated the real perpetrator got hers, but she had to know what became of the body of the rapist-for-hire.

Itachi shifted so his body faced her by the side. "I did announce it to the rest of the house, my brother included. The only thing they all did know about was that she nearly was violated had I'd not interfered, but they would NEVER know everything. The half-truth was the best I could do for both our sakes. A scandal was the last thing I needed for this family. I...loved her too much to ruin her like that. However..."

She really heard the croak in his voice, failing to hide it. "However?" she pressed. He sighed sharply.

"She quickened with child soon after."

 _Oh, God. I know where this is going._ Itachi noticed her lack of a reaction. "At first, I thought it was my own, since I frankly recalled us being...together the week before it happened, so for awhile, I thought maybe the child wasn't mine. But I didn't have the heart to say the words in fear of destroying trust. It wasn't her fault, unlike many men believed when it came to their wives' infidelities. However, no one was to know this, as I have said. There never was a way to determine the truth; all that time, I tried to assure myself that no matter what, the child would be loved." A small smile came over his face, making him look so peaceful and relaxed at the memory, grim as it was.

But then it was gone. "Izumi, on the other hand, had been confined to our chambers for much of the pregnancy. It is normal for a woman to be at bedrest for the sake of the child, but this was much more than that. She wasn't faring any better than I was. She barely spoke anymore; it was like she was...withering. I felt more responsible," he said softly, the depths of his despair now showing and making her cry. "She was eaten away, and I tried everything I could. I was blaming myself and was powerless to stop anything."

 _By keeping the truth from the rest of the world - including Sasuke._

"One day, she told me she loved me for all of this, and that was when she was near the end of her term. We were anxious for the day...but when it finally arrived, it was difficult beyond words. For two days was she in labor, with no signs of a baby, and there was so much blood. I had seen it in my years on the battlefield, even the slightest of injuries, but because this was my wife, I felt myself shrinking. Fear gnawed at my heart's every corner. Then the physician came to me and said that he would have to cut Izumi's belly open for the child. It would end up killing her." Naru remembered Tsunade and Sakura telling her they performed that procedure whenever a woman struggled during childbirth, and half the time did it end in tragedy. "I gave my consent, knowing the risks, and either way, my world came to an end when I was approached that the healers did everything they could for them both."

"...she was gone," Naru breathed, sliding closer to him. She was hurting so much she couldn't stand it, but this was his wife he had lost - his first wife - and his internal wounds were being reopened with every word.

Itachi nodded, looking deep into her eyes, where she saw the dark anguish and the glaze of tears he held back much better than she did. "Yes. And at first, I thought the child would make it, since it would have been all I had left of her, but the worst came just as much. Izumi delivered a baby girl, but she, too, went with her mother. I lost everything that day."

He turned away from her without another word. He must have been breaking apart that he didn't want her seeing him like this. His voice even dropped so she barely heard him.

"So you understand now why I didn't wish to suffer again like this. Why I am the way I am now."

She answered yes in a heartbeat. Because now she understood him more than ever. What happened to her had happened to Izumi, and she, too, had been stuped, but when she came to, the burden she must have lived with...just like her husband had to live with it. And for them to have a child but couldn't tell if it was Itachi's or not - it was wrong for Naru to say she'd been lucky she never got pregnant - it was an understatement to say it was difficult for them. And to think he had been _happy_ to be a father without expressing that much excitement...this made her remember her fear of motherhood.

"You don't know what to say," Itachi said when she didn't respond. Regretfully, she confirmed it. He nodded. "It's all right."

"No!" she burst, reaching for him and putting her hand on his shoulder above the cover. "No, it is not all right. She didn't deserve that, and neither did you. Both of them deserved what they got." And if that witch who ordered the servant to do that to Izumi was dead now, she would feel better. "Is...Suzume Uchiha still around?"

"No. She committed suicide some time after I threatened her," he answered, mouth twitching at one corner. "No one was there to witness, but she had the knife in her hand. Slowly and painfully was death for her."

Oh, he enjoyed it as much as she wanted to enjoy the slow and painful death of Tetsuo, eh? She was all too happy to know that, and they shared a laugh over it. But then the laughter was gone. The hour must have grown late with all this talking. However, she wasn't the least bit tired, and neither was Itachi. Naru found it in herself to ask him the question which was extremely important as far as she was concerned.

"Do you still love her?"

He looked at her with a brief flash of surprise. "Naru, you don't doubt me now, do you, after I just said I loved _you_?" He was dancing around again, but because he was still doing the same to her when she said she _might_ be in love with him!

 _My body is still excited for him, my heart skips beats more than it used to, and he knows me as well as Granny, Sakura and all my friends. And when I talk, he understands. I'm going to do the same for him._ "Not like I did in the beginning," Naru said honestly. He smiled and reached for her face, fingers tracing her whisker marks on that cheek. "I was so willful to you, but I still don't regret that."

Just like she didn't regret saying she was in love with him. Saying it sealed everything, even the shadows in her heart whispering that she knew it, deep down.

Itachi chuckled. "You were, and I still like that side of you. It was never meant to be easy, but today, we can pave a smoother road for the future, dear wife." He moved closer, placing a little chaste peck on the tip of her nose. The tingle made her giggle.

"If we do that, then I'll say that I AM in love with you. But not because of what you say. I don't have some lovesick young girl explanation, but I'll say it exactly as it is, Itachi. This is nothing I can explain unlike everything else we speak about."

"That's what love is. I have been there, remember?" he told her wryly, pulling her close and laying on his back so they looked back at the moon outlined through the tent.

"Then tell me your answer to this which you never gave: do you still love Izumi or not?"

He shook his head. "You're right. This is my response: I will always miss her and the baby, but she would have wanted me happy again. So, I do love her still, but it is you now."

~o~

His love profession and admittance to missing Izumi still was straightforward honesty. He said it, so what further need was there to dwell now that it was out in the open between them? When their bodies were so close together right after a sacred act between man and wife? When he poured out his darkest secrets just like she had on their wedding night? When he was protecting her as his wife and swore solemn vows that he made possible?

Their barriers were down so they were free to trust each other. Their fears were for each other to conquer.

They each lost someone they loved in the past. First for him, his parents, wife and child as well as many friends and comrades. Second for her, the man who was like a father to her and parents she never knew but respected because of what they did for this village.

They each had beginner's luck in variant forms: his first spouse passed away, which ate him away and nearly drowned him in darkness; she had been in love hopelessly with his younger brother, but it was only an infatuation simply because she never knew what real romantic passion was.

Their earlier times were complicated without words, but here they were now in LOVE.

"You love me," Naru repeated heartedly, holding onto him tighter than before. He exhaled and returned the embrace.

" _Hai,_ my fierce little warrior."

Warrior...that was the first time he called her that, and she was worthy of such praise which she'd relentlessly fought for her entire life. "If I'm a warrior, then you are mine," she persisted, leaning up and kissing him full and passionately on the lips. If he was going to protect her as he protected this village and the people in it, then that was what love was for her. She treasured her home and this man more than anything in the world now - even more than all the hunting and training she was taught in her life.

"Should we seal our vows again?" she asked him after a moment of comfortable silence. After all that talking, it was the least she could do, and that was to please and make her husband happy like he always did for her.

He gazed down at her with a dark glint that meant one thing. "You want to do it again?" he purred, making her smirk.

"Is the invitation working?" Naru challenged, enjoying every moment of the guide of the reins she seized herself.

"Mm, hn...I accept it."

 **In another fic I did, "His Chosen Bride", Suzume Uchiha (a character I created) was the elder sister of a girl Itachi was betrothed to by his father's hand, before the girl died from the plague. Bitch wanted to be clan matriarch when her sister ended up being chosen, and then Izumi put herself on the plate she rightfully earned. She attacked Izumi with a vicious jealousy directly, resulting in her ass getting locked up. XD**

 **It's been a long time in making to think about what happened to Izumi and why Itachi was so closed off and hesitant about finding love again. He really blames himself for it even though he didn't say it directly in that way. But the idea of what I did in "His Chosen Bride" was the inspiration, with far more brutal results. :( Don't hate me, because I never condone anything like this.**

 **Now it seems Itachi is going to be happy again now that he confessed to Naru, his second wife, like he got her to confess on their wedding night what Tetsuo did to her. Just gonna take awhile longer for him to get out of that dark pit he'd dug for himself.**

 **Review please. :D After a long time in the making, Itachi's story really deserves this.**


	18. To Negotiate With the Enemy

**Yesterday I found out horrid news: my father, due to years of alcoholism, was diagnosed with liver failure. :'( Unless he quits drinking within six months, he would die that much sooner. But for some days maybe, he will be in the hospital. Grandma and I are really going through some hard times.**

 **For the longest time, I struggled with expanding the Ame warriors (Akatsuki) because these are feudal times, and it was also important to keep them IC. I hope the final result satisfies.**

 **I love the TV show Outlander so much, but I never read the books which it is based upon. However, I went back to Archive of Our Own, remembering a oneshot of the wedding night of Claire and Jamie which I enjoyed once, "Modern Woman" by InkyBlot - and inspiration came from there into here, particularly the opening sequence. ;D**

 **Two more chapters to go, and I am damned sure of it. :D No more, no less.**

Chapter Eighteen

To Negotiate With the Enemy

Having the opportunity to explore her husband's body like this was like a little girl playing with a new toy she fell in love with at first sight, but this was something far more meaningful than growing tired of that toy when you got to be a certain age. This was the man she was spending the rest of her life with, and to trace every line, every contour and sensitive point...

What Naru was going to do was just for him, after all those times of him being atop her. She learned just how well he would find which places would make her gasp and arch, which would make her moan his name, and every spot would provoke random responses. _Now it's my turn._

The male body was different in appearance, but the reactions at certain points were the same as within a woman.

This man, this young and powerful man with this kind of body! To look at him in this position, opened for her eyes only even in the dark. The blanket was tossed aside just for this. No one would disturb them at this late hour, she was sure of it. She saw all of him, the power an incredible feeling to have him at her mercy. If her charm unintentionally lured him to her, then he was doing just that right now. Arrogant bastard he'd been, and she'd thought him worse than his brother, but he was so damned enticing. So opened and understanding, knew exactly what he wanted and was prepared to do anything to get it. _Just like me._

Itachi, her husband of three months at least, lay spread out, the moonlight piercing through the gauze roof to illuminate his every muscle and line. Glorious and naked. The plains of his chest were broader than the widest hilltops, his shoulders harder than the surrounding mountains, and very few to no small scars littering. Either he never scarred easily, or he had the best care money could buy, which she envied. She lowered her eyes and saw his manhood, which was large as ever and framed with wild black curls. It was settled between angular, slim hips, half-erect and pointed at her. It was flushed dark, almost purple in the darkness with very little light. The pearly white tip was gathering to let her know he needed her contact soon. Beneath it were the two ball shapes adding to the masculine sensitivity.

Oh, she had a contact to make, alright, but it would be something else he never would have thought of.

Naru had no intention of asking him if this had been done to him before. It was going to be a surprise, but she was also prepared if he received this at least once before. He couldn't have had the company of other women after Izumi died. She was aware a man would do that, take a concubine, but he'd been so in love with his wife that he couldn't move on - until he saw Naru.

His harsh breath of her name made her look back at his face as well as the taut line of his lips together. His eyes spoke without words: _Are you going to keep me waiting?_ Giggling, she crawled over him, breasts swaying in random directions, and put her mouth to his as assurance that she was getting to it. So she started downwards on his body, journeying slowly at his chest, kissing over the firm, smooth lines and then reaching the taut nipples which hardened like pebbles. His hisses turned into growls, telling her the direction was the right one. Then she found her way to his rippling abdomen, the moonlight dancing off the lines. _He's burning up, because of me!_ She could smell it all, too, like she was a real animal getting off on simply the scent of her mate. Maybe she really was a fox like the other children used to call her.

The look on his face when she reached his swelling groin - it was sheer surprise, confirming this had never been done to him. "Something Sakura told me about," Naru told him slyly, and that just increased his disbelief. He didn't even want to know what his brother and sister-in-law did together, that was enough.

What Sakura explained to her was this, and it was not something proper civilization would openly discuss, not between men and not between women, or both sexes to each other. This aspect of intimate culture was literally banned from the scandalous _Tachikawa-ryu_. Although, few people thought it still existing, but underground, and Sakura was one of the few to know. She liked to delve into the forbidden sometimes as long as it was kept private. And it was just like Tsunade to have a little fun of her own that way, too. But Itachi didn't need to know all of that, either.

Naru wasted no time getting busy, though she was really nervous as she had been the first time she was thinking about this as her sister instructed her how to do this. She bowed her head, the strong scent of his musk coming to her senses, and tentatively darted her tongue out to the bulbous, mushroom-shaped tip of the thick piece of meat hanging from where his thighs joined. He gasped and arched his head back. _I hit the target on point, yes!_ Naru thought with victory. _Thank you, Sakura._ She continued by letting her tongue slide all the way up the top, pausing when her nose brushed the onyx hairs. His body trembled as he shuddered audibly. Her appendage carried on by going back down, spiraling around until she wrapped her lips around the tip and then slowly started to take him in, suctioning and releasing.

"N-Naru, this is not proper!" But his protests were drowned out when she pulled him in with her intakes of breath. His vision must have blurred when he looked up at the roof, then closed his eyelids to let himself drown in what his wife was doing to him.

You'd think that this would taste vile, but strangely enough, it was like a piece of food she thought didn't have a good or bad flavor. Not only was it the sight of his body, but the flavor of him, and it made the liquid heat pool between her legs, bubbling and leaking a little. All of this because of Itachi... _the man I really am in love with._

To know that she could return this feeling he sparked in her made her feel like an incorruptible entity rather than a vulnerable human being. But first she had been just that, no matter the need to be stronger than any other she'd known, except her mother and sister, and he molded her into something bigger and better. Even if first he had been an obstacle giving her a wretched time.

Itachi's eyes remained closed as his seed unraveled and entered her mouth, descending down her throat.

Her first instinct was to spit it out, since she'd been warned this would happen the same way he would between her legs, but it didn't taste worse, either. Bittersweet was the phrase. His body was wracked with tremors that did earthquakes no justice.

Only a few times of being with him and it was just getting better and better. When he came to, Itachi looked down at her with fogged over eyes, but his smirk was lazy. "I truly...underestimated you when you said you wanted to go again, Naru - or what you had up your sleeve." Then a brow cocked. "You do realize what could happen if word got out about this -?"

She would be called a scandalous _ijinowarui on'na_ , but who in the name of hell was going to tell anyone? Sakura would never speak of such things aloud for gossip's sake. "No one will," she answered simply, crawling back over him and drawing the covers back over them to sleep the rest of the night. Plenty of talk, twice the intimacy, secrets revealed and trust placed beyond the lines drawn. There was one thing left to do, as she said, and that was sleep for the big day that was coming very soon.

The sky was turning charcoal gray in the early hours of the impending morning.

~o~

Fighting was coming up, but there was still time to think about negotiations if there could be happiness on both sides. She made that resolution officially that morning with Itachi, having come to mind as soon as the sun's rays hit her face. Surprisingly, he agreed with her. Couldn't it not be because of last night?

"Not at all," he answered when she asked him. "We are prepared, but there is still a chance for no blood to be shed. Haven't we decided at the back of our minds that armed conflict solves nothing?" He smiled at one corner of his mouth. "Recall Sarutobi-sama negotiated the truce with the Iwa Emperor."

So she did, and she remembered the relief she felt like it was yesterday. After all those years of living on the streets, in the orphanage, before she and the pink-haired girl who became her best friend and sister both ended up in the care of two of the greatest warriors in history. Eight years of what she thought was hell on earth, scavenging for some time to survive when Kizashi and Mebuki's orphanage released her and a few others - the years of suffering were at an end. But so many innocent people died in that time while others gained something.

"We are going to speak with Gaara about this, and that's final," Naru declared, standing up and dusting off the robe she preferred, which was simple dark blue, and he seemed to like it best out of everything else. Itachi once said simple befitted her more than lavish. That simple, eloquent comment made her cheeks flare and her heart thump exactly five times.

"I couldn't agree more. So to the general we go, _tsuma_." Affectionately calling her wife in their native tongue; she was going to turn it right back at him.

Naru grinned at him. "Lead the way then, _otto_ ," she responded, but he remained standing where he was. It was his way of saying she was going to step ahead of him. She was all too happy to do just that, but not before she was given her weapons belt, her pole-arm and short sword to her waist, and he did the same.

The Suna Imperial Army camp came into view some time later, but the walk was a good exercise for their bodies. A samurai in a non-armor tunic led them both to the shogun's tent, where he was sitting cross-legged on his pillow, signing some documents to be taken out. "Itachi. Naru," he greeted them warmly, looking up. His kimono was plain maroon, save for the dark teal belt around his waist. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?"

Itachi looked at her and allowed her to speak for him. "My husband and I have been talking, and this regards what all three of us suggested involving words before violence, Gaara. Although before we do that, would it be possible to track the movements of where the Ame forces are at the moment?" Naru asked, hands lowered at her sides and her head high, making eye contact with his.

"...I have spent the previous night considering the options. It is a good thing you two have come along. Please, sit and we talk."

She and Itachi did just that, and then tea was brought in. "The village in rain won't be easily reasoned with, which means that they could attack us on sight if they see us all advancing at once," Gaara explained when they were all settled in. "But even if we agreed to provide them with some assistance after all these years, there is no telling if they could turn on us when our backs are turned. We all remember the actions of Hanzo the Salamander like it was yesterday - especially when your mother acted and slew him as he deserved," he stated with a glint in his eyes. "However, it would be out of the question to have you repeat Kushina's actions."

"As I told my wife once. For this isn't a time to send in a geisha," Itachi agreed. "It would be suspicious to them as to why an entertainer would just appear in their midst. The royal guard would be on you in a flash, given it is plain you still don't have the assassination skills she did." _Not going to lie, but that is fact. I would be jumping the blow gun and end up dead. And there is no time to teach me Mother's methods._

One option was left: she would have to go as she was to the Ame army in an attempt to plead with the forces to open negotiations. But before they could do any of that, they had to send scouts to track their pace and give the message. They had to send more than one just to be safe. Suppose one or a number of them were killed in the process.

It was settled then. Kotetsu and Izumo would head out along with two others. And Naru took the liberty to write down the letter herself:

 _Why should there be fighting when we can resolve by face to face negotiations? We should meet at a rendezvous away from the village borders, with one or two escorts each, and come to an understanding. There should be no need for a Fourth Great War when we have lost many on both sides already._

 _Before you reach Konoha Village, it would be wise to stop and rest where you are now and consider the offer. We will await your answer in two days' time, but no more and no less. No weapons if you agree to the meeting._

 _Naru Uchiha_

For a moment, she had considered using her maiden name, but it was unnecessary. Why should she spoil the fun by revealing who she was too soon? Or would they already piece it together?

Itachi and Gaara both hummed when they listened to her read the draft aloud before giving it to both scouts who left the camp with haste. The sooner, the better, but they had to not lower their internal defenses if any of their men were killed as a warning.

In the next two days that passed, nothing eventful happened, but Sakura by then learned how to use the bow and arrow which made her and Sasuke happy, and Tsunade was taken off her guard with impression. _That archer is really my sister?!_ was Naru's thought when the pinkette hit all ten targets set up in camp without error. She was so proud to have been a great teacher - although Sasuke deserved the credit since he was the full-time mentor instead of Naru.

She and Gaara even had their chance to spar once, and she had him on the ground. Without too much details to explain, think about it like the first time she beat her husband in the tournament which announced his brother and her sister's engagement - and afterwards, he declared she was his.

The young Suna general was in awe when he looked up at her. He must never have had a woman beat him in his lifetime - not one who wasn't his own sister, Temari.

But then, the good days changed when they finally got the reply - and at a terrible price they expected but were still stricken.

The Ame forces agreed to meet with them, but in turn, only two men came back. Kotetsu was dead along with one of the two scouts Gaara sent with him and his partner. Poor Izumo - he thought the bandaged man as a friend since they were boys. "He was even worthier than I ever thought I was!" Izumo lamented, throwing himself at her and Itachi's feet. She and her husband looked down at him together with sympathy, before they ordered him to pull himself together and give Ame's reply. _But they have the nerve - no, the dastardly gall to never give the bodies back to their masters and loved ones!_ Livid, she took the scroll and opened it to show Itachi and Gaara, reading it aloud for the men to listen, including the medical teams on both sides - counting her mother and sister, and the bastard who betrayed them all. Tetsuo, however, did seethe when he listened to what those fiends had to say for themselves.

 _"We will meet in the hearts between your base camp and our own, Naru-sama. It shall be two people each, but the choices in escorts will be of our choosings, if you wish to come to a solution like an idealistic, reasonable woman. Violence, you must believe, solves nothing, but because of the endless suffering of my people, pain must be necessary to obtain the results of so-called peace. I await the meeting at noonday tomorrow."_

There was no signature of the leader, no name of indication. She frowned with impatience. _He really must enjoy riling us to the edge._

And as for what he said about violence obtaining peace, that sparked the talk that made her furious. He really believed that blood spilling as well as taking friends and loved ones away was a necessity - he must have one immense psychological scar on himself if he had such a cynical, cold and calculating viewpoint.

"Assume the positions, men," Gaara said, and they all bowed their heads forward, picking up their helmets and turning on their heels. Her and Itachi's did the same. Sasuke, however, stayed behind.

"If this man wishes to honor the request," he noted, taking it from her, "then I should be the one to go with you, Naru. You have a heart that gets through to people - not that you cannot, _nii-san_."

Itachi nodded, offense not taken. However... "I doubt the validity of this agreement," he said. "Naru, you don't have to go out there. I can take your place -" He halted himself then and there when he noticed the fire in her eyes, and her feeling it.

"Don't tell me you are changing your mind," Naru said through her teeth. There was no time for this, especially not after everything! Was he suddenly having a sliver of consciousness because she was his wife and he knew he loved her as much? Was he suddenly being overprotective and feared for her safety now that she knew what happened to Izumi? "I got Sasuke with me, and we can handle these people if we could handle Orochimaru and his lackeys together." She looked at him then, seeing his eyes twinkle at the memory - the first fight they had together when they saved her family, one of them becoming his own wife.

But his brother, the man she was married to, was still adamant. "No doubt, but still, I can't help but feel the underside. If I let you both go, then we will follow and stay hidden. There could be a chance Ame will do the same, so no chances will be taken and we let you go alone."

"Itachi, I hope you're not letting love cloud your judgment at a time like this. I never thought you could let that happen to you," Naru said, unashamed to speak this in front of both her brother-in-law and Gaara, who both looked amused. Itachi simply raised an eyebrow at them, which told them they should leave him alone with her. When they were alone, his tone darkened.

"I hope you did not intend to challenge me in front of our ally and my brother."

"Not at all," she answered, chin raised. "Only saying it as it is."

"Then my answer is this: I fear for you, yes. I admit I believe in you completely, but I also don't wish to lose you the way I lost Izumi, our daughter and my parents." He then reached to take her face into both of his hands. The act stole her breath away. "I even remember the events of the war in the rain village like it was yesterday. It was no different than in the other nations: the tangled limbs of corpses. The blood in the fields. The mere stench of death. I lost friends in those miles. I fear that you could be taken off-guard and suffer that fate...or what my mother endured. If you were taken from me, being one more person, then I will have to go to far more extreme measures than just the one responsible. I will take my own life and join you in the afterlife than to live one more lifetime of darkness." His eyes closed. "I love you far more strongly than I ever thought I would, from the very first time I heard your name and your deeds - an opinionated and stubborn woman who questioned me before acting."

He trusted her with all his heart and soul, but he would also rather die than to let something happen to her. This was a devoted man for her. How could she ever have been so fortunate?

"Then hide away while Sasuke and I deal with the Ame emperor."

~o~

What bothered her so much now was the fact that Itachi kept too much from his brother. First, it was their parents, and then it was Izumi's death. Both of which he blamed himself for. Sasuke was a grown man, but he'd also lived much of his life being protected, and yet it seemed it was for the best. But Naru felt more bothered than she could recall...

 _It's between brother and brother. Itachi chose to, and if I interfered, I ruin everything. He'll tell Sasuke when he wants to. And Sasuke is happy now as it is._

Here she was with Sasuke, and it was so familiar, feeling like so long ago now that she thought about it. And in her armor like he was in his, and she felt so powerful but comfortable with herself. Her helmet covered her shocking sunlight hair which had now begun to touch her shoulders in recent months. Her beloved Iru was safely back at the camp, out of harm's way, as was Sasuke's prized horse.

Now she wished Pervy Sage was here to see what she'd become. He would have been so proud of her, but she wasn't sure about HOW he would see the way she'd gotten here. He might not have been so pleased to know a man - and Itachi Uchiha, none other - had gotten her here, but it had been her. All because she got help to rescue her mother and sister. But what had been done was done, and there were no more regrets.

But if only he could see this woman she was now. And right beside her other best friend and brother-in-law just as they waited for a foreign enemy bent on revenge for neglect and forgotten...

"Naru," Sasuke murmured then, the two of them still alone, but Itachi and the rest were still camouflaged in the trees and wild, "before they come, it could be a bad time, but I have to tell you something. Even if it is too late."

"What is it?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. What he said was more than what she expected when he first told her he was betrothed to Sakura.

"Naru, I never said this for the sake of our friendship, but I may never get another chance if things go south today. I love you, more than just as a friend, and I have been ever since we met - not counting that day in your friend's shop. You may be my brother's now and I am your sister's..." His eyes turned to fix themselves on her face. "...but I had to tell you because I couldn't keep it in anymore."

Naru had no idea what to think, but she couldn't even breathe - only for a second. After all these months, and he chose NOW to finally return these feelings. Had he'd done this sooner, she would have been overwhelmed by the fact her true love had come to her in dire circumstances. But this was no fairytale; this was real life, and as he said, they belonged to other people. "Sasuke," she said finally, "I once felt the same way for you, but I didn't say anything because I value our friendship too much to make it something complicated." There was the flash of disappointment in his eyes, but he nodded, without a word. That was all, and she was partly expecting him to say more, but now wasn't a good time, and she appreciated it.

It was that moment which finally arrived.

They heard the noises ahead, telling them Ame was approaching. Everything happened without a logical explanation, coming naturally and yet filled with galloping hooves that menaced the senses. The Ame army had come - well, just two of them.

They came on magnificent horses, although their armor indicated otherwise. Very dark with red accents. Sleek but cheap. Other than that, to gaze upon their faces was a stunning surprise. One was a man, the other a woman. It was difficult to tell which one was emperor or empress, since Ame was cut off from the rest of the nations...

"Naru Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha." The man who spoke had a low but still booming voice. He reached up to remove his helmet, revealing a shock of orange hair, and his eyes were brown. What shocked her were the metal piercings in his nose and within his ears. _Was he awake when he received that treatment, or did he have a somewhat careful medical procedure? I don't want to think about the screaming he must have released..._

The woman, it turned out, was so beautiful she could only be an angel. Her hair was blue, halfway in a bun and accented with a flower; her eyes were similar to Tsunade's. She appeared very quiet in comparison to the man who gave Naru and Sasuke no expression as he looked down on them both without horses but still armed. Semi-gracefully, he stepped down from his, which was pure black, and started their way, helmet tucked under one arm. "Neither of you come with horses, yet you still come armed and in armor."

"So have you, but I wish I could say the same about the steeds," Sasuke replied sarcastically. "So, which of you is leader of Ame?"

"I am," the man answered without a blink. "My name is Pein, and that is all you need to know." His lack of emotion could very much identify him as a walking corpse with an unseen puppeteer that it made Naru's blood grow cold.

She cleared her throat. "Emperor...Pein," she stated. "That's an unusual name. Was it your birth name?"

Now she got a blink, but it was only once. "...no," Pein said at last. "But that is hardly your concern. You issued the letter, lady; now we talk 'peacefully', as you put it. But you are wasting precious time here."

"How am I wasting time?" she snapped. "You should have considered asking us before coming uninvited and without warning. You should have thought that we could speak without violence, without triggering another war. I'd have thought that after all your village suffered under Hanzo the Salamander, you would have gotten help from us -"

He interrupted her coldly and calmly. "Asking only to be refused. It has happened once before, and none of the surrounding villages would care about us. So we seek something greater to bring an end to the suffering. It is indeed peace we want, but outsiders living in this so-called harmony will once more witness destruction in order for something to be gained. They will never understand what we seek, for they have never cared - why should Konoha be any different...or even your Suna allies?" he asked with both hands coming up and spread out on either side of him, helmet still in one hand.

 _He knows they're here...of course he does._

"Well, we don't really want to fight outsiders," Sasuke said, "but if nothing else works, then so be it. If it's blood you want -" He then reached for his katana behind him. "- then I'm happy to oblige."

Pein was reaching for his sword, too, and Naru could tell it was somewhere near Kusagani's standards, but no way in the bottomless pits of hell she wanted to see it. She looked at the blue-haired woman who stayed quiet the entire time, but the fire was in her eyes. Naru decided to act fast before her brother-in-law and this man could kill each other.

"Both of you, enough. Pein-sama, we may have let you suffer in the past, but this was a war mainly between our village and the Earth Country. Yet yours got dragged into it..."

"Yes, it has." Finally, that woman spoke, out of collected anger. She had the voice of an angel. "Which is why we chose you of all villages, because of your endless survival in three hellish wars." The contempt was in her voice. "And if no one willingly offers us aid after all these years, then we do it by force."

"Then why now after many years when the last war came to an end?" Naru demanded heatedly. "At least agree to a summit to discuss the circumstances. What can we do to make you understand? Why must you be like Hanzo?!" _Why can't you just cut to the chase and we agree to a compromise so we are all happy?_

Pein should at least show some emotion once in a while, but the only sign was the flash in his eyes. "That name is forbidden back in our village. He was responsible for our suffering when we were children. We saw our parents die before our eyes, we lived on the streets and had to steal in order to suffice ourselves. Now we have done everything we could to maintain a balance in our land, but there is still no glory that we deserved, no stability."

He was saying that he took over leadership after Hanzo was killed by her mother, but nothing was better as a result of a lack of trust. Now she knew she had to hear more. "Tell me more," Naru said. Sasuke looked at her, startled for a second, before he reluctantly agreed with her.

"And why should we trust you?" the blue-haired woman snapped before her emperor turned his face halfway to her.

"Konan, it is fine. I don't relish it any more than you do, but it seems they need to understand." He then turned his attention back to Naru and her brother-in-law. "It began during the Second Great War, however, before the last you spoke of. This was before either of you were born..."

 _The one my parents, Granny, Pervy Sage and Orochimaru were involved in._

 _ **Ijinowarui on'na**_ **translates to mean "vixen". Just as** _ **tsuma**_ **means "wife" and** _ **otto**_ **is "husband".**

 **The Tachikawa-ryu is the Buddhist form of tantra, and it was so disreputable in its teachings: "The highest spiritual attainments are best achieved through the physical act of sex. The sect was banished in Japan and went underground hundreds of years ago, but many believe that it is still active."**

 **When Itachi tells Naru he loves an "opinionated and stubborn woman", it's similar to what Richard, the leading man of "Chosen for the Marriage Bed" (one of my favorite books) , tells his wife Elizabeth, who is nicknamed the Black Vixen. :D This woman also merged a little with Naru.**

 **Review please.**


	19. How Naru Dealt With Rivals

**It's been a major challenge to make things different in the story Yahiko/Pein tells Naru and Sasuke, but here you go. I really hope it makes sense.**

 **As title hints, includes something you all must have waited for as I have... :D**

Chapter Nineteen

How Naru Dealt With Rivals

Naru listened to his story from his mouth, Sasuke with her, and behind them - Itachi, Gaara and the other men were giving heed to the tale with their keen hearing. The pierced man said that he was a child in the violent second war, and so was that blue-haired woman he called Konan, which meant they must recall her family.

"As you know, we were cut off," Pein was saying. He seemed comfortable to be standing, and so was she and Sasuke. They were not here to be too relaxed and lower their guards. "After two decades of peace, everything changed. We were tarnished because of Hanzo, the demon who destroyed our lives, but the fighting and bloodshed that started outside eventually made their way into our lands. We had nothing to do with it and ended up dragged into the mania. We were all innocent, except the ones who controlled our existence. We lost our families - Konan, myself, and then...Nagato."

"Nagato?" Naru repeated without sounding like she was deaf. He nodded.

"He was perhaps the most sensitive of the three of us. He always cried, stayed between or even behind. But Konan one day found him when he was nearly dead from starvation and brought him to the cave where we hid, stored as much food as we could salvage. I'd have thought just the two of us was enough, but as soon as he became one of us, we began to work together to help each other. Eventually, more fighting had begun...and that was when we saw _them_ : the ones who became known as the legendary Sannin." _I knew this was coming._ "But we laid our eyes on two others, whom you must know very well, Naru..." His eyes narrowed by a fraction as if telling her without words she knew WHO he was talking about.

 _My parents._ " _Hai,_ I know who you refer to. And that means you know who I am, before I was the general's wife."

"Naru Uzumaki, as you were once called. But you went by your mother's name, given no one was to know her and your father's identities. Nevertheless, they were a valiant pair - especially when word reached our ears that she eliminated Hanzo without error. We met her along with the rest. However, it was the Orochimaru snake who first declared the three of us would be put out of our misery as he saw we were orphans, before Jiraiya stepped in. He stayed behind with us for some time, and this was when the fighting was over, the war nearing its end. Tsunade - kind woman who looked after our health before she departed with the rest of the lot, but ready to slew if you crossed her." _Why does that not surprise me?_ "

"What about my parents themselves?"

Konan stayed quiet and only watched on, making the blonde think that she wasn't the diplomatic type and was clinging to fighting - or was she just his right hand? "Kushina, red-haired and fiery as she appeared," Pein replied, "was no different in temperament, and she did insist she wanted to stay with Jiraiya so she could help, but she had obligations in the form of your father's family. And Minato, the man whom all knew as the _Kiiroi Senkō_ _-_ there was no mistaking the sympathy in his eyes when he looked upon the three of us, when he knew nothing of what it was like to have ties and then lose them: three orphans of war. However, you would know what it's like to be in the position of wandering in the street, taking without getting caught - or even if you were, you'd be severely punished." His dark eyes had been narrowed and now widened back to their original state, pupils dilating with knowing.

Naru closed her eyes, feeling that penetrating gaze still on her skin, and Sasuke's the same. She wanted to ask how he knew about her history when not everyone in Konoha knew about her entire backstory, for that was HER business and that of those closest to her. "...yes, I know what it's like to not have parents, since I was born."

"Because you never saw them die before your eyes," Konan accused heatedly, earning a harsh eye from her commander and friend. He silenced her with the word, and she obeyed. This told her women in Ame were different than here; they were strong but otherwise more submissive, and if they were wise, they'd stay out of others' business.

"You are right," Naru answered to both of them. "I never knew Minato and Kushina, but I respected them for what they did for everyone, for giving their lives - and protecting me. I lost Pervy Sage, who had been the only father I knew. But I still have family..." Now she looked at Sasuke whose gaze had hardened at once. Remembering when he lost both his parents.

"I still know what it's like to lose loved ones."

She was a tad surprised he had to spit in the words. "You know, each of the five nations know...yet we were abandoned."

"Then if everything was as worse as you say, let us offer the assistance now instead of going to the fields. It will solve nothing and make everything the way it used to be," Sasuke insisted hotly, eyes flashing. "The peace doesn't have to end like this."

"And what would you know, Sasuke Uchiha, when you never fought in a real war, or even knew the true horrors outside the comfort of your home? And the girl of the streets -" His gaze landed on her again. "- who knew what it was like to have nothing, did what she had to, but never picked up a kunai or sword?" Not until Jiraiya, as he hinted. The man whom he also said temporarily took care of him and his friends. She wanted to know more about this, not listen to petty bickering between him and her brother-in-law.

Naru interrupted them carefully. "Enough. Lord Pein, what happened after Hanzo was killed by my mother...and Nagato?" she asked cautiously.

Now, this was where the greatest sore spot rested.

"Hanzo was succeeded by a man easily manipulated by just about anyone," Pein said. "His name was Osamu, one of the most 'disciplined' and 'logical' to come to the emperor seat, given that very few knew of him, except the fact he was one of Hanzo's lapdogs. His opinions would change depending on his master or a comrade." Now that was the kind of person Naru hated the most: someone who had an idea of their own but switched sides out of fear of being wrong. "While he was in power, the three of us began to form an alliance we chose to name Akatsuki, to symbolize a new dawn to come. There were once twenty of us in the beginning, and it wouldn't be long before our existence would reach Osamu's ears. He sought us out, claiming that he was opened to negotiations with us...but it was all a ruse to lure us in. Konan was captured. Nagato and I set out to rescue her, and there she was held at arm's length by one of Osamu's lackeys. He asked for the leader - myself - to step forward, but then _Nagato_ took that place. He did it in order to protect ME." She heard the gratitude and nostalgia in his emotionless voice for the first time, and something inside her gut turned. "I tried to stop him, but he persisted. And when that happened, Osamu ordered him killed if we wanted Konan back, or else her blood would spill and then spread when the rain washed our earth. I very well remember pulling my kunai out only halfway - but then Nagato did the unthinkable and brought his own to his throat. Blood poured from the wound and his mouth, but before he died, he begged me to never give up and to save our friend. Then the fighting broke out between our forces and Osamu's..."

 _Nagato took his own life to protect his friends and the cause. That sounds like a good man. Perhaps these people were never evil. We just don't know them, and we can start learning to trust each other now._

But there was still more.

"We lost ten of our own besides Nagato, but we fled away to recuperate. We would never forget his sacrifice, to ensure Akatsuki was strong, but without him, it would never be enough. There was only one thing to do, and that was to lay siege to the imperial palace where Osamu stayed confided. There was nothing more satisfying than to see him in a dark pool of his own blood, his throat opened by my sword. His men equally faced our wrath, never seeing it coming."

Sasuke pieced it together as she did. "You took control days after losing a friend who meant the world to you. It was out of revenge, not only with your desire for peace," he said through his teeth.

"Says the one who never saw the horrors of war, as he's said," Naru had to say, knowing it all well. What she lived through was nothing compared to what these people endured. Yes, she and Sasuke lived during wartime, but that was child's play in contrast. These men and women lived alone ever since losing their families, then found each other. She'd been on her own in the beginning until she found the people who became her family.

But they all had one common denominator: Jiraiya. In a way, it made them siblings.

Pein and Konan looked slightly stunned at her declaration, and Sasuke had nothing to say. "So, we all agree on one thing. We will never really understand what you endured, but this we know well: family and friends, losing but also gaining. You must know that as well," she told Pein, who closed his eyes as the response. "If so, then seizing an insurrection on a whole village outside your own won't solve anything. Allies will attack, then will come the enemies taking advantage...and triggering a Fourth Great War. Do you really want that again?"

She got no response, so she pressed harder. "We don't have to fight. We can gather with our allies and reach a compromise. We can take time to learn and understand so we help each other," Naru insisted, wishing with all her heart that he would say yes, that he would reconsider.

And just when hope seemed lost and there would be more blood on these grounds as well as on the outside...

"Naru Uzumaki... _Uchiha_...not only is your prowess legendary as your husband's, but your words cut the heart much deeper than any sword."

~o~

"You're honestly...agreeing to this so easily?" Sasuke stated, or maybe questioned, with narrowed eyes, though he was reaching behind him in case he needed to act. Naru did the same. She didn't like this any more than he did, but words could not describe what she was feeling when Pein said she had words that hit the core harder than steel would.

Pein looked at him without a blink. "You still doubt me, Uchiha."

"That's Commander to you," her brother-in-law shot back. "And though I have doubts, yes, I wish to know if you intend to really stand on your word for a summit without attacking behind our backs." His eyes grew slimmer to resemble snake slits, daring the pierced man to say what he was hoping...

"Perhaps I will go back on my word, perhaps not - but what do you wish as proof of trust?" Pein questioned with a single blink now - and then those eyes shifted past their heads. "And whoever is hiding in those trees may come out."

Cold horror washed over Naru. It must have shown on her face, for he gave a brief huff of breath. "Don't be surprised, lady. I have known from the beginning. I knew you would have them as backup, but I have not done so, for I don't fear dying. When I am gone, I have a successor you have no need to know." His voice rose by an octave, but not enough to rage. "But as promised, no dying today."

This made Itachi, Gaara and the sixteen men come out of their places. They had heard every word the Ame emperor said, but their emotions were well hidden. "General Itachi Uchiha-sama," Pein replied, "and General Gaara-sama - it's an honor to meet you both face to face." He turned his face halfway back to Konan, nodding for her to step down from her horse to be beside him.

"Same on our parts," Gaara answered. "Now we can call it a day, you return back to your territory with your armies, and we will do the same. Then in the near future, we schedule a summit in the Iron Lands..."

When he mentioned the Land of Iron - a barren place covered with ice and snow, the temperatures subzero at best - she remembered how it served as neutral ground for all five great nations. As long as history documented, it was _never_ once involved in any of the big fighting, although it was still manned. Unlike the other nations, it was dominated by samurai for the majority. It was the main spot to conduct summits, so it didn't surprise her the next would take place there.

So, on this day, when she, her husband, brother-in-law and their allies stood in this spot, the agreement was settled, and as proof that he would leave them unharmed, he agreed to one condition: that he would stay in the village for the night and the next day, to get to know this village which had also faced blood, sweat and tears. The one he came to take for himself out of desperation.

In return, Suna would do the same, and all three nations would have a time to celebrate.

It was nothing festive, but it was better than calling it bygones be bygones without cause.

Naru knew better than to jump for joy for all to see, but she was beyond ecstatic. It made her wonder how her mother and sister would take to this news, because Tsunade had history with the Ame Village while Sakura had her suspicions just to be on the safe side - but when Naru got through to her, she would change her mind. But let's just wait and see about the rest of Konoha.

And when that time came, it was expected to bring it to the attention of Emperor Sarutobi when he sat before Pein in his council chambers, both their men at the sides, and Naru and her husband were there to bear witness. The atmosphere was tense at best.

When the meeting was over, she found herself meeting Tsunade and Sakura, embracing them both. "Naru, you did it," her mother said, almost breathlessly. "And I was looking forward to getting my rusted bones back in the game - but you prevented any broken bones and blood on the earth!" Her face lit up. "And I'm not as young as I look, so you helped me live longer!"

 _And I was happy, unplanned as it was. I'm not ready for you to leave us, either._ "And I'm disappointed I didn't get to show more, but thank you for teaching me something, Naru," Sakura said. "I know how to use the bow and arrow because of you and Sasuke..."

"Which I was all too happy for," Sasuke replied, announcing himself and appearing beside her, linking his arm with hers. "We'll be going now...and Naru, you will make an excellent negotiator in the future." She returned the smile he gave her - that rare visible smile that even his own men never got to see outside the armory and fields. And it was still so hard to believe that he told her he once loved her like she had.

And then he leaned over and whispered into her ear: "If I never said it enough, you're one of the strongest women I've met - in body, heart and soul."

A tear burned the corner of her eye.

"Sister -" Hardly did Sakura ever call her that, same on her end, but it was the universe. "- he's absolutely right."

"Which is exactly why we are going to celebrate tonight, even though the next hard part is going to come," Tsunade declared, taking both her girls - and Sasuke, making him grimace painfully - into her arms. "I could use a good many sake after all these weeks!" _Kami, Granny, you really want to get drunk, be my guest. You deserve that more than I do._

The hour drew late that day when she was alone in her quarters, right after her ladies had to leave her be. She didn't really need them; she chose to just don a gentle _yukata_ rather than a kimono. This was maroon with blue and white blossoms, tied with a dark blue _obi_. She was so proud and tired she didn't want to go through the trouble of getting all those heavy layers on her body. If her husband was doing the opposite, that was his decision. Wherever Itachi was now, he must be doing his end of speaking to Pein with Gaara's help before the evening fasting would begin.

Thinking about those men made her think of one in particular, as she hid the weapons belt beneath her garment before departing. If Gaara's soldiers were in the palace, so was...

"It's really been a long time, hasn't it...Naru?"

Speak of the devil and he would appear. Naru held her breath and her guard as she turned around and made eye to eye contact with the second and only other man - beside her husband - who knew she wasn't a virgin.

"Tetsuo," she replied icily, hands clasped before herself, right over where the nearest kunai was beneath her sash, "indeed it has been." If she was going to kill him here and now if he was going to try a second time, she was prepared to do it without regret. Unless one of her maids or anyone else would come to her beck...

~o~

He stood there, with the two of them alone for the first time. But she wasn't afraid of him. Not with her weapons concealed and on her being.

Both sets of blue eyes locked on each other, each in a different face depending on gender. One filled with vengeful fire and the other amused. "What do you want before I join my husband and the others?" Naru asked coolly. "Trading stories of the old days? Or is it something else?" _You bastard, you monster who shattered my trust and nearly destroyed my dreams, disenchanted me..._

"I was thinking of just that," he answered. "I had been hoping when we could sit down and have a chat like we used to, my little fox."

The gall to call her that after all these years! Her indignation rose like a ferocious hurricane wave. "I don't believe it's proper to address your high-ranking ladyship in such a manner." If she kept up the act this way, then it would fuel her courage over him. And it made him frown then, wiping that damned smile off his face.

"Ladyship...yes, I have to say, you've become moreso than I last saw you. Although, I'm pleased you still have that fine hair which I know you loved so much." His sky-hued eyes twinkled like she remembered, before IT happened. "It makes me wonder how you got away with it unlike most of the young women these days."

Now her patience was threatening to snap. "It has nothing to do with 'getting away with it'. What's important is not what I look like, but what I contribute without sacrificing a part of myself," Naru said. "I'm still the little hunter girl you remember, even after Pervy Sage died. No one else taught me but myself."

"So I heard," Tetsuo answered. "I even spoke to your mother and sister. Tsunade was over the moon in her own way, and Sakura - pretty as the flower she is named for. And I'm not surprised she surpassed even her 'mother'. And to think both of you would end up being wives of the Uchiha brothers...who would have thought?" It was then that his face hardened.

"It makes me wonder what you did to impress General Uchiha-sama."

 _Oh, no you didn't..._

Naru Uchiha was once again Naru Uzumaki, the young girl he took advantage of, therefore deceiving his two closest friends' hospitality. Her face turned red a shade brighter than her garments, and her eyes might be burning brighter than the flowers on the maroon fabric. "Even if I did, could it be any different than what you did to me, you arrogant _buta_?" she snarled, curling her fingers in so her nails bit against her skin without piercing.

And he didn't at all take too well being called a pig. "Why, you scandalous little minx, your tongue is sharp as I remember," he said haughtily, throwing his head back to harshly laugh. "It makes me wonder if your _husband_ tames it in a way that Jiraiya and I never had in ourselves."

"Don't talk about Itachi like that!"

"I wonder if he found out you weren't the little maid he might have expected you to be," Tetsuo went on, obviously sharing her thought that the faux pleasantries were over. "I know your pink-haired friend still doesn't know, like I made you swear on both bloods. Otherwise, she would have approached me when no one was looking." _Now you honestly thought I would endanger Sakura like that?_

"Why would I risk the safety of a girl who has been like a real sister to me from the moment we met?" Naru seethed, itching to grab her sword and slash his throat here and now. "Against the threat of someone like you: a man I thought was like another father besides Jiraiya - someone he and Granny Tsunade had known, or thought they did. You tricked and raped me, took away my innocence. I was only a child, and you seized advantage of that. You tried taking everything from me because of that, haunting me for months into years - but I was never alone. I had friends, family - and I have a man who loves me despite what you did to me."

The scar beneath his eye made him look more menacing than even Pein or Orochimaru appeared, because this man was more truly her enemy on a personal level than anyone else.

"Impudent... _bitch_ ," he roared, sure to attract attention now. Maybe that was what he deserved - but the look in his eyes said he was going to kill her now. He then reached into his gray _yukata_ , drawing forth a kunai of his own, but she was ready. Naru had two shuriken that sent it out, producing some sparks on his hand, burning him mildly. He cried out, stumbling back. _Old man you are now - you're really losing your touch, aren't you?_

And it was then that a brilliant idea dawned on her brain. They stood there for a moment before, in a flash, she changed her tactic and lowered her defenses, but they wouldn't stay that way for long. Not only were blades great weapons, but so was this...

"You know something? Why fight when I can just...kiss you right now?" She closed her eyes then and there. She didn't need to look and see if he was moving her way, but before she let her lids drop over her vision, she saw the bewilderment on his face, since they were both on hostile terms now.

But it seemed he took the bait, still having those beastly urges, after all; it made her retch. And just as he was right in front of her, his lips about to lay themselves on hers, Naru went for the attack: she bit his lip then and there, drawing enough blood for him to spit onto the floor, and then she brought her knee to kick him in the middle of his abdomen, sending him backwards, but why in the hell's name wouldn't he fall on his backside?

Voices entered the air, and she'd been so absorbed in her revenge that she didn't sense anyone coming.

"Get away from my wife, or you will die." _Itachi!_

"Step back from my daughter, you lecherous traitor!" Oh, was Tsunade as livid as a real mother animal. Sakura even had her wrist rocket at the ready for the kill.

Behind the trio were Gaara, Sasuke and a handful of Konoha imperial guards. Finally, Sarutobi-sama and Pein, the latter showing surprise only in his eyes. All of them heard everything she and Tetsuo had exchanged with each other...and it was like an eternal weight had been taken off her shoulders once and for all.

 **I went back to reread the summary of this story when I wrote that Naru would "assume command of her husband's armies". I can't help but think it wasn't complete control, since there ended up being no fighting after all. But then again, not everyone plans EVERYTHING of what will happen in a story ahead of time. Is anyone willing to forgive that little error?**

 **The confrontation and dialogue within was based off the scene between Lynett and her old tormentor in "The King's Damosel", in the book's eighth and ninth chapters.**

 **Oh, yeah, it was dramatic alright. Let's see how it concludes now that everyone knows... (drum roll)**


	20. Of the Conclusion

**I returned to more research on feudal Japan, especially in terms of crime and punishment. What shocked me was the list of these things that were NOT considered criminal acts - incest, child abuse, molestation, prostitution and RAPE. :O I could hardly believe what I was seeing, but here is some good news: any of these things could change, and it could exist only in certain nations.**

Chapter Twenty

Of the Conclusion

If time wasn't frozen, it was simply suspended. But it felt so tight that Naru thought she was going to faint, because not only was her husband there, but so were his brother and her sister, Tsunade, and the rest. They heard every word she and Tetsuo exchanged.

"I said, stand down," Itachi growled, reaching for his sword, the blade slicing audibly, "or I'll kill you here and now, with or without Gaara's permission." His eyes were once dim like coals, but now they were alight with the fires of hell while the rest of his face was cold as ice. His brother's was matching, but then they turned to land on her, silently asking the question: _Why didn't you ever tell anyone?_

Well, how could she? She was half-tempted to tell him in private that was a stupid question, but it was his mistake to realize. And Sakura's was doubled, looking like she wanted to cry but held it in. But the blonde knew she wanted to know everything, because it brought forth the one time the pinkette insisted she be careful around the man - a warning she took so lightly. When Sakura said she noticed how Tetsuo was looking at her a certain way. Because back then, Naru wanted more friends in an authority figure, but she was still naïve.

Oh, to look at Tsunade, especially at her incensed face and eyes which blazed literally with embers. She stalked over to Tetsuo, and he didn't miss her fist as it struck him so hard it made his entire mask turn red. But beneath that anger and hatred, Naru saw the heartbreak and pain of treachery as she called him out on. "You...you brazen...bastard son of a...!" She was at a loss for words when she dared to look upon the face of the man she thought was a friend - until she heard that he _violated_ the girl she thought of as her own child. Then she turned to look at Naru. "Naru, when did this happen?" Tetsuo was about to protest when she delivered another blow, this time to knock him out cold and flat on his back. Enough for Emperor Sarutobi to order the guards to take him away, and Gaara...he was devastated and likely hating himself for employing a monster in his ranks.

 _And wondering if he raped other young girls in his own village._

"I was thirteen," she answered, looking at all of them in the eye except Itachi. "When Jiraiya was away for two weeks. He said it was a day-long mission on His Majesty's orders, but I'd wondered why...and I regret not being smart enough to say no." She clenched her fists at her sides.

Sarutobi said through his teeth that he never issued such an order, to which Tsunade looked back in his direction but could say nothing. Sakura turned to her husband and buried her face into his shoulder; Sasuke's arms wrapped around her small waist.

Pein looked at Tetsuo with such cold heat without words. "In my village, we punish people like him with immediate death," he said. Except he wasn't on his own grounds to issue the decision.

"I can't believe I had such a man in my ranks this entire time," Gaara said, shaking his head. "He was the best candidate when Chiyo died. And we were all too happy to accept him after everything he'd done for us..."

"I'd had the same thought," Sarutobi said, closing his eyes with great regret. "I'd known him as long as I've known all three of my students." And it showed that even a good human being like Tetsuo Ishii could sink low no matter how many good deeds he'd done. It would never atone for one - or maybe more - assault on young girls who knew nothing of the world's dark underground.

The real truth was that rape was often not considered a crime, but that was notably known in the Kiri Village, despite its attempts to erase its history as the Bloody Mist Village. However, in Konoha, it was a heinous offense as it was in Suna. Now Pein had revealed it was worth killing the rapist for, and then he exposed the reason why: "My mother was raped in front of me, before she was killed along with my father."

He saw Itachi's body stiffen as he recalled his own mother enduring the same thing, but he could not say it aloud. And the horrific revelation caused all in the room to look at him with sympathy.

"What will happen to him now?" Naru asked. She looked at Itachi when he put his hand on her shoulder.

"He will be put in lockdown for the night, and since he is still under Suna's jurisdiction, it's the final decision of our comrade, Lord Gaara." He looked at the man in question.

Gaara's eyes flashed. "Nothing would please me better than to release that rat snake out of my ranks. When we return home, I'm going to do everything in my power to rectify this mistake I made in letting him in. I will ask any young woman or girl if they endured what Naru has, and if so, then justice will be made."

And what better ending could there be than that?

~o~

Later that same night, when the dinner and meetings - fun as they could get, but among those who knew what happened outside those walls was silent strain - were over, Itachi already went back to their bedchamber, but she was pulled away by Sakura who couldn't say a word so they could have the long-hidden conversation with the woman who was going off higher than any arrows shot in the air on the battlefield, or any homes being burned down in midst of the discord.

"Naru, all these years - he should be mine to personally kill," Tsunade seethed, on the verge of breaking the sake cup in her hand. "And he really convinced you that he would kill both you and Sakura if you breathed a word!"

"...I was only thirteen, Granny. I was afraid you would never believe me, because he was a friend of yours and Pervy Sage. And there is NEVER any physical evidence left," Naru defended, suddenly feeling vulnerable like she'd been at that time. This made her guardian and mother squeeze her eyelids tightly shut.

"That damned bastard...I'd known him my entire life. Jiraiya would be turning in his grave if he knew about this. How could he...?" _Take advantage of an innocent girl like that._

Sakura wasn't able to stop crying as she wiped her eyes with a cloth. She was devastated because she tried to warn her friend and failed miserably, but she'd been the same age Naru was. She was powerless, too. "I'm so sorry, _baa-chan_ ," the blonde said, lowering her face and unable to look at either of them. She was so ashamed as she'd been years ago. Everything caught up as quickly as it happened. "I ought to be blamed instead of him..."

"What?" Sakura exclaimed. "No, it's never a fault this happens!"

"Precisely," Tsunade agreed. "It's common to blame the victim, but the truth is otherwise. I treated a few young women who suffered while the animals got away with it, only a few facing proper punishment. But to know my own daughter had been..." She shook her head, pigtails swishing behind her head. Her eyes opened only to soften. "Did Itachi know about this before tonight?" Naru nodded. Now she was gripped with the urge to tell them both everything he told her, even if it would risk Sakura telling her husband behind their backs.

"He did. And he knew it wasn't my fault, because..." Suddenly, she trailed off, uncertainty returning, but they pressed. "He saw it happen before his eyes, first with his mother who was kidnapped, then to his wife before me," she finished.

The horror was seen on both their faces. It was then that she would spill both stories word for word, starting with his parents' deaths, finally ending with her predecessor's. Sakura finally learned more about what she'd been told, and swore on her own tears that she would NEVER breathe a word. Tsunade clasped her hands beneath her chin, probably thinking she was too old for this mess.

"Poor Itachi," was all her mother could say, though knowing what to say and didn't have it in herself. Then her eyes lit up when they rested on Naru again. "But a good man nonetheless." She was referring to what she told her in what felt like so long ago:

 _Everything in life happens for a reason...you were right, as always._

And what happened when her tormentor came back: she hadn't been alone, at all. Itachi was there, her mother and sister, and many others. Tetsuo was going to get his, and they were all going to be happy for a damned long time to come, if not for forever.

~o~

Standing over your enemy was a sweet sensation she'd waited the last half of her life for. Here she was beneath the palace, in one of the torture chambers, joined by her husband, Sasuke and Gaara. Pein had gone home with Konan and his armies who were still out there waiting for him. The emperor couldn't make it because he had begun to feel unwell, sparking major concern within her, but when this was done, she would have the answers.

Tetsuo lay on a table, tied down and having endured what she personally ordered in the last few hours; the men around her let her do it because it was no less than he deserved: he suffered nerve severance specifically in both arms, then his legs so that he couldn't run or fight back - all done by Sakura and Tsunade's joined hands. He also had his eyes surgically removed so that he wouldn't see what was coming next, and there was so much more to come, alright.

It was satisfying to see those eyes blinded just like he had done to her. _See how it feels._

"Cutting your head off would be all too easy, you inhuman _teme_ ," Naru spat hatefully as she looked down at the array of blades that would all cut into the gut, which she was aiming for. Much damage had been done to him as it was.

He croaked and choked on his own blood which hadn't risen out of his mouth yet. But its salty stench from his closed eyelids reached her nostrils and drove her to the point of nearly throwing up herself. The men handled it much better than she did. She finally settled on grasping a kunai, her favorite in fight, but now for something much more than that. Larger and heavier than shuriken, but always in handy. Smirking, she decided to have fun dancing it all over his exposed abdomen, still rippled with muscle, but she didn't remember ever seeing this before. It didn't surprise her. Snorting, she let the tip of the blade dip into his navel, making him shiver and gasp in horror as he must have realized what would happen - or at least an IDEA.

"Pl-please, Naru! You don't have to do this! Just look at me right now!"

"Oh, you really think this is all you get for what you did to me and who knows how many others?" she snarled, looking up at the face she once thought so handsome but deceived her. "If you ask me, I think that more is just what you need. Especially when you made me swear to never tell about that day, lest my blood and my sister's stain the sheets at night when Pervy Sage and Granny weren't looking. But would you really have done that..." She let her smirk broaden just as she heard Sasuke whisper to his brother, but she tuned out what it was. "...when you knew what it would do to both people whom you had as really good friends? Risked that friendship for the sake of your beastly appetites?"

He whimpered now, turning his face to the other side. That was the face of a coward rather than a war veteran who was skilled in healing others like Lady Tsunade - and he hadn't the balls to face death like a real hero! Even a samurai would never stoop that low to show cowardice. "See, that is the answer of a pitiful child," Naru sneered, enjoying this moment she saw only in her dreams and random daytime hours. "And you were once hailed as the handsome but brave healer on the battlefield. Even Tsunade was glad to have wanted to go down if any fighting with Ame happened."

Tetsuo was still crying; you could see the shine of tears streaking across the wooden table beneath his head. A horrible smell approached her senses, telling he did so much more than cry. "Naru, little fox, forgive me! I repent for everything." _Oh, you bastard, it's way past forgiveness. But I don't need to tell you that._

"Don't you DARE call me your little fox!" She brought her free hand down on his stomach and into a fist, raising the other with ready. The pewter metal glimmered in the light from the lanterns. "Such scum like you once hailed isn't worthy of forgiveness. Do you remember what I said once, when we spoke of Orochimaru? I said that one who betrays his friends, comrades and his entire village is no more human or even a worthy warrior. Why should you be any different? Orochimaru was once one of us, as were you. What happened to you then? You leave the village, with permission out of the question, and went to our allies' sides. It makes me ill to think you thought you could get away with this. But no matter..." She raised the knife higher.

"...as they always say, karma is coming back to bite you on the hind in the most unseen way possible."

With that, she brought down the weapon into his stomach where she proceeded to work the wonders, intending to empty what was inside onto the floor. If she killed him herself, there would be no regrets, as she always told herself. She did it slowly and painfully, feeling proud of herself. Blood spurted onto her hands as she tore the flesh open, showing pink-red organs within. Stomach, liver, intestines and all.

When it was over, the screams descended into gargling, and the one to stop her was none other than Sasuke, because he wanted to. "Naru," he said softly, putting his hand on her shoulder. "It's over." He gave a look over the macabre work of art she'd made, smirking now to one corner of his face. "Hn, just better than I imagined doing to him myself."

"Far better," Itachi agreed, coming behind her on the other side. He nudged his cheek against hers to get her attention. Suddenly overcome by emotion, Naru dropped the bloodied kunai onto the floor where it joined the gory, organic scene. Gaara said nothing, but hummed his approval at the sight. Sasuke then did the honors of picking up the dagger before calling for someone to clean the mess up.

Tetsuo Ishii died immediately while she was in her husband's arms, in time for the poor servants to come in.

~o~

So, her nightmare was finally over. They said revenge wasn't always worth it in the end. You only tore yourself apart, like her husband said on their wedding night, but that was only if you did the act alone. He'd been there like he vowed, and so were his brother and their foreign friend. Her personal hunt was at its end, with no tinge of self-sorrow remaining.

In the next day that passed, her husband announced they would go out for a ride together, hunt personally and then bring back a deer or whatever else was out there. Something they hadn't had time to do since before they were married or after. Naru was so happy he was doing this for them both. She couldn't wait to fire an arrow with him, after everything they'd been through. They were going to finally enjoy each other's company after many obstacles in their paths. _And long ago, it was me and Pervy Sage. If only he could see me now._

The buck came back with them, little blood dripping, and they were greeted with a small audience cheering that it would be a feast tonight.

However, Itachi loathed any kind of red meat, so no one was going to make him eat it. However, Sakura had the honors of being in the kitchen to help with cooking the dead animal, and her hands did the miracles as always. Sasuke's eyes shone when it came out sweet and juicy, then he looked up at his wife and leaned up to give her a kiss on the cheek, quietly thanking her personally. But as for Naru's own...

"It's a shame my wife can't handle bloody meat like her sister," Itachi purred in her ear, unashamed that it was in front of everyone. "And especially when she spills it from our enemies."

"Not every woman can do everything at once," Naru answered, turning her face briefly into his before they pulled apart.

It was also the next day after that they were delivered with some grim news: because of Sarutobi-sama's age, he might not live much longer. He hadn't left his chambers for anything, and he'd let his affairs of state be put on Itachi and Naru. This made her weep silently, and the grief would eventually spread throughout the palace and into the village streets. One day, some time later, she was in the stables as she missed seeing Kakashi. His only eye twinkled when it rested on her, coming before him in her _yukata_ instead of a lush kimono. "My favorite stable girl and fighter - who'd have thought you'd end up being more than just those two and the general's wife?" he said, somewhat jokingly. "But it wasn't like I had any doubts."

"Well, I could use that," she told him, embracing him. "Wanted to catch up since I missed being here." And catch up was what they did.

She told him more about the summit that would take place in the next month as planned, and by the looks of it, things were going well with the Ame Village. But it was still ways off, so anything could happen. "But it's best to remain hopeful instead of wasting time waiting for the worst," Kakashi told her, and she heartily agreed.

What he said next made her heart soar: "Your parents, Minato and Kushina, would have been very proud of you."

Bringing her back to the agonizing news: Emperor Sarutobi was definitely dying. But his successor would be none other than his grandson, Konohamaru, a young boy of fourteen years. He had a few years to mature and would meanwhile be mentored by not only her and Itachi, but an advisor.

Naru really liked Konohamaru: he was a loud little brat sometimes, like she remembered being herself, but he looked up to her. She looked forward to being his teacher, and Itachi would. But the poor boy when he learned of his grandfather dying! He actually shed loud tears when he ran to her for comfort. She knew what it was like to lose someone, family and friend alike, so she was all too happy to comfort him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi eventually gave in to death's call two weeks before the summit was due. The service was attended by nearly the entire village, the procession proceeding through the streets, and in the middle of the second month of the harvest. It was somber and gray, warning of rain.

All of them were in black, those in the imperial palace. She was right behind the elaborate hearse, Itachi beside her, and behind them Sasuke and Sakura. Tsunade, Konohamaru, the guard and on were right behind as there were more in the front. She saw Tenten with Choji, Ino and the others. These people she loved as much as the strangers who counted on them. They were all here to mourn a good man, who had done so much for them and was getting _this_ in return. Years ago, he was their hero like their shogun general and her, his wife, was.

And speaking of which, just how had she gotten here?

Naru looked up at the grim, expressionless face of the man who had forced her to marry him, but he was more of a man than Tetsuo ever was. There was also his brother whom she loved before, but it was her first time and his, and their friendship mattered more than anything. Along was Sakura, her best friend and sister, and Tsunade - their guardian who was more of a real mother than they'd known. As were their friends they'd known since childhood.

She wasn't like every other woman who was often confined to the home, watching over the children, lands and the property. She went out, like a true equal, and her partner was a man who suffered as much as she had. He was there with her when she took her revenge against the man who destroyed her as a teenager. He filled her with love, a kind much stronger than a silly young girl's. One he had difficulty letting in after losing someone else he cherished before her.

Sasuke also had a good woman in Sakura, when he'd at first been uncertain. And Sakura, kind as she was, filled the void in his heart.

Outside this village, there was also Pein and his village which might get the aid it deserved after decades of enduring worse than they all had.

All in all: everyone found a place in life by helping each other.

 **What happens to Tetsuo was based on a convo with me, Blue Kitsune, and my best friend who got me into Naruto in the first place. :D How evil are the three of us to come up with something like that together?**

 **It was difficult to write Tsunade's response to what Tetsuo - a man she thought of as a dear friend - did to a girl she thought of as her own daughter, both emotionally and technically. I was nervous about it being typical as well as gone overboard with her rage. But Tsunade is, as we know, highly temperamental just like Kushina is.**

 **I also wondered how to conclude this tale that did Naru justice: whether as it was now, or if she ended up being empress beside her husband. Given there were only two or three times in medieval Japanese history were there an empress in her own right, like I said early on, but one had been manipulated by a Buddhist priest and ended it all badly (a la Rasputin to Czar Nicholas).**

 **What was important, in the end, was that the main lady did so much for herself with friends and loved ones to help her. :)**

 **Review the grand finale of this epic I had the pleasure of making as different as possible from my usual fare. :D Thank you all for your support.**


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